Uj^O 


BV  215  ,T3  1902a 
Tailing,  Marshall  P. 
Communion  with  God 


1857- 


EXTEMPORE    PRAYER 


^j/ MARSHALL  P.TALLING,  Ph.D. 

Inter-Communion 
With   God 

Cloth^  $1.00,  7iet 

"  Its  range  is  far  wider  than  a  treatise  on  private 
devotion,  as  it  seeks  to  include  every  avenue  of 
approach  to  God.  The  conception  of  communion 
here  given  is  fresh,  intensely  suggestive  and  con- 
vincing."—  The  Advajice. 

*'  It  abounds  in  material  sifted  from  the  records  of 
the  Christian  life  and  marshaled  in  connection  with 
the  stages  of  the  author's  advancing  and  helpful 
thought." — Co7ig7'egationalist. 

"The  exposition  of  the  subject  is  ingenious  and 
thorough  and  leaves  a  strong  impression  on  the 
mind  that  in  close  contact  with  God  is  real  power  of 
man." —  Watchman. 

Extempore    Prayer 

(FIFTH    EDITION) 

Prayer,  Public  and  Private  ;  its  Principles, 

Preparation  and  Practice,  together  with  a 

carefully  prepared  collection  of  Prayers 

for  Illustration  and  Models. 

Cloth,  $1.2^,  net 

"We  have  never  seen  the  subject  so  practically, 
and  at  the  same  time  spiritually,  treated.  It  presents 
a  brief  but  complete  survey  of  all  the  principals  in- 
volved in  prayer,  both  public  and  private." 

— Christian  Ob  server-. 

"  We  recommend  this  book  to  those  who  are  in 
the  habit   of   conducting  public    services,  without 
preparation  of  themselves  for  the  public  prayers." 
— Christian  Intelligencer. 


FLEMING    H.    REVELL    COMPANY 
Publishers 


COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 


EXTEMPORE  PRAYER 


ITS  PRINCIPLES,  PREPARATION, 
AND  PRACTICE 


BY  THE  REV. 

MARSHALL  P,  TALLING,  Ph.D. 


^^Kbpis^  dida^ov  fi[ia<;  izpoatb^itaBai,'* 


Chicago  New  York  Toronto 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 

London  and  Edinburgh 


COPYRIGHT,  1902, 
BY  FLEMING  H. 
REVELL     COMPANY 

May 


FIFTH  EDITION 


Chicago:  63  Washington  Street 
New  York:  158  Fifth  Avenue 
Toronto:  27  Richmond  Street,  W 
London:  21  Paternoster  Square 
Edinburgh:    30  St.    Mary   Street 


DEDICATED 

TO 

THE    MEMORY   OF    HER 

WHOSE    KNEE   WAS   MY   EARLIEST    ALTAR,  AND 

WHOSE    LIPS    AND    LIFE    WERE   A 

CONSTANT   AND    INSPIRING 

EXAMPLE    OF 

COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

MY  MOTHER 


*'My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer." 

Matt.  2j:  ij. 


"The  disciples  asked  Jesus  to  teach  them  to  pray; 

AND    they     never     ASKED     HiM    TO     TEACH    THEM     ANYTHING 
ELSE — NOT   EVEN   PREACHING." 

Rev.   W.  H.  Hincks,  LL.D. 


Of  the  LATE  Principal  John  Caird  it  is  w^ritten: 

"  He  was   greatly   interested  in   the  effort   after 
greater    beauty    of    holiness,    greater    attention   to 

fitness    AND    PERFECTION   OF     FORM    IN    THE    EXPRESSION    OF 
RELIGIOUS    FEELING." 


CONTENTS 

PAGB 
I 

Introduction 13 

II 

Free  Worship  versus  Formularies         ...  20 

III 
Definition  of  Prayer 27 

IV 
Different  Parts  of  Prayer 32 

V 
Public  as  Distinguished  from  Private  Prayer        .      39 

VI 
Preparation  for  Public  Prayer     ....  42 

VII 

Principles  or  Conditions  of  Effective  Prayer      .      61 

VIII 
The  Architecture  of  Prayer         .        .        .        .         114 

IX 

Common  Faults  in  Public  Prayer     .        .        .        .124 

X 

Some  Excellences  of  Public  Prayer     ...         135 

XI 

General  Practical  Rules 142 

XII 

Training  for  Public  Prayer  ....         159 

XIII 
Teaching  Prayer 167 


CONTENTS 

XIV 

The  Altar  in  the  Home 172 

XV 

The  Prayer-Meeting 194 

XVI 

The  Power  of  Prayer 207 

XVII 

A  Collection   of   Prayers    (numbered   and    classi- 
fied) FOR  Illustration  and  Models — 

Invocations 220 

Benedictions,  and  Ascriptions  of  Glory        .        .  224 

Adorations 227 

Confessions,  Penitence,  and  Pleading  for  Pardon  231 

Vows  and  Consecration 234 

Thanksgivings 239 

Supplications 243 

General  Intercessions 249 

General  Prayers — 

Models  for  the  Pulpit  .        .        .        .254 

The  Resurrection 272 

Family             275 

Special  Prayers — 

For  Illumination            281 

After  Sermon 283 

After  the  Offering 286 

Patriotic 287 

For  Missions,  etc, 290 

List  of  Authors  and  Sources  of  Prayers      .        .  294 

Index           .           ........  296 


PREFACE 

Any  treatment  of  the  formal  principles  of 
prayer,  however  carefully  the  author  may  guard 
himself,  is  liable  to  leave  the  impression  that  he 
is  recommending  artificial  aid  to  devotion.  Noth- 
ing, however,  could  be  farther  from  our  purpose. 
The  artificial  and  formal  are  fatal  to  prayer. 
Above  all  things  we  must  avoid  and  abhor  un- 
reality in  worship. 

The  object  of  this  manual  is  not  to  offer  substi- 
tutes for  the  spirituality  indispensable  to  power, 
but  to  aid  beginners  to  the  knowledge  which  is 
also  indispensable,  and  to  guard  against  dangers 
which  must  be  seen  to  be  avoided.  Our  endeavor 
is  to  provide  a  brief  but  complete  survey  of  all 
the  principles  involved  in  prayer,  both  public  and 
private. 

Chapter  II  was  inserted,  not  because  it  is  a  part 
of  our  theme,  but  because  it  constitutes  an  in- 
structive background  for  it. 

The  term  "free"  or  "extemporaneous,"  as  used 
herein  of  public  prayer,  means  not  the  impromptu 
utterance  of  an  unprepared  person,  but  rather 
"conceived"  prayer,  which  has  received  suitable 
premeditation  as  to  its  purpose,  its  substance, 
and  its  form. 

7 


8  PREFACE 

In  order  to  anything  like  a  complete  treatment 
of  our  theme  it  was  found  necessary  to  touch  cer- 
tain truths  at  different  angles.  This,  however, 
has  been  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  avoid  unneces- 
sary repetition.  In  some  cases  indeed  care  has 
been  taken  to  mark  references  so  that  mutual 
support  may  be  derived  from  varied  presentations. 

It  is  assumed  throughout  that  the  prayer-life  is 
preceded  by  the  new  birth. 

Scripture  quotations  are  given  in  general  in  the 
Revised  Version. 

The  collection  of  prayers  herewith  presented 
has  been  carefully  selected  from  nearly  two  mil- 
leniums  of  the  best  recorded  examples.  Every 
prayer  was  chosen  or  indited  for  a  special  reason; 
and  will  be  found  either  to  illustrate  some  prin- 
ciple inculcated,  to  serve  as  a  model  of  form  or 
expression,  or  to  suggest  new  lines  of  thought. 
They  have  been  classified  and  numbered  for  con- 
venient reference. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  should  be  made,  of 
counsel,  encouragement,  or  assistance,  received 
from  Rev.  Principal  Caven,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  Knox 
College,  Toronto,  President  Pan-Presbyterian 
Alliance;  Professor  B.  B.  Warfield,  D.D.,  Prince- 
ton College,  Princeton,  N.  J.;  Professor  G.  L. 
Robinson,  Ph.D.,  McCormick  Theological  Semi- 
nary, Chicago,  III. ;  Professor  F.  R.  Beattie, 
D.D.,  Louisville,  Ky.;  Chancellor O.C.  S.Wallace, 
D.D.,  McMaster  University,  Toronto;  A.  C. 
Courtice,  D.D.,  editor  of  The  Christian  Guardian^ 


PREFACE  9 

Toronto;    and  Charles  A.    Eaton,    D.D.,   pastor 
Euclid  Avenue  Baptist  Church,  Cleveland,  O. 

In  making  this  humble  contribution  to  a  sub- 
ject of  so  supreme  and  pressing  importance,  the 
author  sends  it  forth  with  the  prayer  that  its  use- 
fulness may  be  such  as  to  show  that  he  has  been 
Spirit-led  in  the  performance  of  a  task  to  which 
he  has  felt  himself  Spirit-driven. 

M.  P.  Talling. 

Toronto,  April  lo,  1902. 


PREFACE  TO  SECOND  EDITION 

It  is  gratifying  that  the  call  for  a  second 
edition  has  come  so  soon.  The  author  appreciates 
the  cordial  and  strong  commendation  his  work 
has  received  at  the  hand  of  reviewers.  The  press 
notices  are  of  value  as  attesting  the  wide-felt 
need  for  greater  attention  to  the  office  of  public 
devotion.  They  indicate  that  "of  late  years 
there  has  been  a  great  improvement  in  church 
prayers"  (Aberdeen  J oiivjial).  Also  they  voice  a 
distinct  call  for  increased  aid  from  theological 
seminaries.  One  journal  {The  Christian  Guardian) 
ventures  the  opinion  that  "the  theological  col- 
lege ignores  this  function  in  its  work  of  preparing 
the  men  who  are  to  lead  the  people  in  one  of  the 
most  solemn  and  sacred  acts  of  life;  and  if  this 
book  should  lead  to  but  one  college  adding  to 
its  curriculum  the  subject  of  public  prayer,  the 
work  of  the  writer  would  be  more  than  suc- 
cessful." Moreover  those  papers  which  favor 
the  optional  use  of  liturgical  forms,  or  even  of  a 
prescribed  liturgy,  support  the  endeavor  to 
strengthen  the  free  prayer-power  of  the  church. 

The  author  is  pleased  that  his  book  is  officially 
recommended  for  the  use  of  theological  students 
in  some  of  our  Divinity  Halls;  and  he  desires  to 
thank  the  many  reviewers  who  have  taken  occa- 
sion to  further  the  cause  which  this  work  is 
designed  to  serve. 

M.  P.  TALLING. 

Toronto,  Oct  31,  1902. 


EXTEMPORE    PRAYER 

CHAPTER  I 
INTRODUCTION 

This  volume  owes  its  existence  to  the  convic- 
tion: 

That  in  free-worshipping  churches  the  weakest 
part  of  church  service  is  generally  public  prayer. 

That  in  many  theological  colleges  the  attention 
devoted  to  training  men  for  the  office  of  public 
prayer  is  inadequate. 

That,  as  a  result,  the  prayer-life  of  the  church 
is  affected;  for  the  purpose  of  prayer,  and  its 
power  in  solving  life's  problems,  are  not  well 
understood;  and  though  the  church  is  rich  in  the 
volume  of  its  prayers,  it  is  not  so  rich  in  the 
quality  of  its  praying. 

That,  inasmuch  as  liturgical  worship  tends  to 
formalism,  public  prayer  — like  preaching  or 
pleading  at  the  bar— should  be  the  free  expres- 
sion of  a  suitably  disciplined  advocate. 

That  present-day  tendencies  conflicting  with 
prayer,  such  as  prevalent  speculation,  criticism, 
and  freedom  of  thought,  on  the  one  hand,  and  a 
strong  drift  toward  ritualism  on  the  other,  make 
it  increasingly  necessary  to  keep  right  in  our 
vital  communion  with  God. 

13 


14  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

That  a  study  of  this  important  subject  will 
prove  helpful  to  any  Christian,  but  more  espe- 
cially so  to  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  lead  others 
in  worship.  Well  indeed  has  Andrew  Murray 
said,  "There  is  nothing  that  we  so  need  to  study 
and  practice  as  the  art  of  praying  aright." 

Every  Christian  prays,  but  few  Christians  make 
prayer  a  subject  of  study.  Everybody  knows 
something  about  prayer,  but  few  know  how  to 
exercise  the  strength  of  its  might. 

Every  age  has  had  some  souls  great  in  prayer; 
and  some  ages  have  been  made  great  by  giants  of 
prayer,  who  put  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens, 
and  turned  the  world  upside  down.  Ages  these 
about  which  men  write  and  speak  and  wonder, 
yet  the  power  which  made  them  possible  awaits 
our  possession.  If  the  church  had  spiritual 
power  proportionate  to  its  numbers,  wealth,  and 
prestige,  it  could  speedily  subdue  the  world  to 
Christ.  As  it  is,  the  church  is  confronted  by 
defeat  just  where  most  she  needs  victory.  In 
amazement  she  beholds  at  both  extremes  of  the 
social  scale  masses  of  humanity  almost  un- 
touched; reverence  steadily  waning,  and  the 
Sabbath  being  secularized.  In  ill-disguised  con- 
fusion she  is  asking  why  such  a  proportion  of  the 
Christian  community  never  enter  her  doors,  and 
why  paralysis  seems  to  have  fallen  upon  the  arm 
which  at  certain  periods  of  the  past  wielded  con- 
quering power  for  God?     No  single  answer  could 


INTRODUCTION  15 

make  full  reply  to  queries  like  these;  but  if  it  be 
true  that  closet  prayer  is  neglected,  that  home 
altars  are  thrown  down,  that  prayer-meetings  are 
losing  their  grip,  that  in  some  pulpits  prayers  are 
read,  and  that  in  others  the  praying  is  poor,  then 
some  clue  is  afforded  to  the  spiritual  loss  from 
which  the  church  is  suffering.  To  lay  all  the 
responsibility  for  this  upon  the  pulpit  would  be 
unjust,  but  to  omit  mention  of  the  pulpit's  re- 
sponsibility would  be  equally  unjust.  That  the 
pulpit  is  culpable  for  the  people's  deficiency  can 
scarcely  be  denied,  because  that  is  consequent 
upon  the  relation  supposed  to  exist  between  pul- 
pit and  pew.  For  this  fault,  however,  there  is 
some  palliation,  inasmuch  as  the  colleges  have 
never  seriously  dealt  with  this  problem.  In 
some  seminaries,  truly,  the  office  of  prayer  does 
receive  considerable  attention,  but  of  the  church 
generally  it  may  be  said  that  public  prayer  is 
given  but  a  secondary  place  in  our  college  train- 
ing. Yet  it  is  universally  recognized  that  learn- 
ing to  lead  in  public  prayer  is  a  difficult  task; 
that  efficiency  therein  is  a  high  attainment;  and 
that  in  no  exercise  of  public  worship  is  the  novice 
more  quickly  detected,  or  poverty  so  readily  felt. 
For  the  highest  exercise  of  the  office  something 
more  than  heart  culture  is  necessary,  it  requires 
also  a  special  mental  training.  What  is  needed 
to-day,  if  the  church  is  to  cope  with  world-forces, 
and  mould  them  for  God,  is  men  of  giant  mould, 
great  of  heart  and  intellect,  and  every  fiber  in  liv- 


i6  COMMUNION  WITH   GOD 

ing  communion  with  God.  Never  was  it  felt  as  in 
this  enlightened  age  that  religious  development 
must  keep  abreast  of  the  tide  of  progress.  To 
lag  behind  means  irreparable  loss.  To  keep  in 
the  lead  means  heroic  struggle.  But  nothing 
less  than  this  is  laid  upon  the  consecrated  intel- 
ligence that  would  win  the  world  for  Christ.  Not 
the  pulpit  alone,  but  the  pew  also,  needs  counsel 
and  inspiration  to  this  mighty  task.  If,  there- 
fore, free  prayer,  and  power  in  prayer,  are  de- 
manded of  spiritual  leaders  (and  all  leaders  must 
learn)  it  is  imperative  that  the  best  aids  procur- 
able, and  all  the  help  available,  be  provided  for 
them.  Even  in  individual  experience  this  is  an 
important  matter,  but  when  viewed  in  the  light 
of  possible  influences  upon  untold  multitudes  of 
worshippers,  the  responsibility  assumes  vastly 
greater  proportions.  It  is  a  serious  responsibility 
to  lead  an  audience  in  prayer,  but  it  is  a  much 
more  serious  matter  to  fail  in  that  holy  function. 
The  leader  who  draws  his  hearers  into  the  con- 
scious presence  of  Deity,  enabling  them  to  realize 
His  glory  and  their  own  unspeakable  need,  and 
then  conducts  intelligent  meditation,  makes  wor- 
ship at  once  a  glory  to  God  and  a  means  of 
enrichment  to  human  life.  Nevertheless  all  wor- 
shippers know  from  experience  that  the  prayers 
of  some  men  do  lead  them  out  and  up  into  an- 
other world,  a  higher  life,  a  new  experience; 
impelling  thoughts  they  have  never  before  con- 
ceived  and    creating   an    atmosphere    of    glory 


INTRODUCTION  17 

hitherto  unknown.  To  be  so  lifted  into  "heav- 
enly places  with  Christ  Jesus"  is  to  return  to 
earth  with  new  ideals.  Old  things  lose  their 
glamor  and  release  their  grip  of  the  soul.  New 
things  become  ours,  for  we  are  transformed  in 
that  central  desire  which  orients  the  soul  and 
enables  us  to  lose  our  will  in  the  Will  Divine. 

Is  it  not  true,  on  the  other  hand,  that  you  have 
heard  from  the  same  lips  a  sermon  orderly,  clear, 
virile,  and  a  prayer  rambling,  indefinite  and 
vapid;  the  former  being  a  presentation  of  well- 
considered,  well-arranged  and  important  truth, 
felicitously  expressed;  the  latter  ill-considered, 
poorly-arranged  thought,  born  of  struggle  so 
apparent,  or  following  a  rut  so  wearily  worn  as  to 
destroy  all  sense  of  spirituality?  And  is  not  such 
disparity  between  power  in  preaching  and  in 
prayer  as  discreditable  as  it  is  unjustifiable? 
Whatever  defects  attach  to  other  parts  of  public 
service,  if  the  worshipper  be  lifted  by  prayer  to 
true  spiritual  vision,  where  new  ideals  are  born, 
and  glimpses  of  new  possibilities  are  attained,  he 
will  not  only  be  better  fitted  to  face  the  work  and 
worry  of  the  world,  but  will  long  to  return  to 
worship  that  the  vision  may  be  renewed  and  his 
spiritual  strength  augmented.  Is  it  not  true  that 
in  many  churches  the  sermon  is  the  strongest  part 
of  the  service?  In  others  the  singing?  Rarely 
indeed  are  the  prayers.  We  know  there  are  ex- 
ceptions, but  conspicuous  exceptions  throw  the 
general  weakness  into  stronger  contrast.     Did  not 


i8  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Jesus  say,  "It  is  written,  my  house  shall  be  called 
the  house  of  prayer"?  Should  we  not  expect, 
therefore,  the  delight  of  public  worship  to  be 
more  largely  devotional?  Over  the  whole  service 
the  prayers  should  cast  a  spell,  bringing  all  minds 
into  a  reverent  and  devout  mood,  where  they 
yield  themselves  to  God  and  hunger  for  blessing. 
Prayer  prepares  the  soil  of  the  soul  for  the  seed 
of  the  Word.  Thus  was  it  that  the  Saviour  pro- 
nounced, "Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be 
filled,"  and  it  is  prayer  more  than  anything  else 
that  quickens  the  soul  into  stronger  desire.  An 
audience  lifted,  warmed,  quickened,  is  brought 
within  easy  reach  of  influence, — a  prepared  people 
ready  for  prepared  truth. 

Nor  has  all  been  said.  The  influence  of  prayer 
upon  the  preacher  himself  is  of  primary  impor- 
tance. It  is  essential  to  the  exercise  of  his 
prophetic  office  that  the  Gospel  minister  be  strong 
in  God,  and  in  the  power  of  His  might;  in  other 
words,  a  man  of  prayer,  acquainted  with  the 
heights  and  depths  of  the  subject  and  empowered 
by  its  exercise.  How  can  he  be  more  than  him- 
self except  as  he  is  God-impelled?  Giants  there 
have  always  been,  but  never  was  there  a  great 
religious  leader,  from  Abraham,  the  father  of  the 
faithful,  to  the  living  leaders  of  our  own  day,  but 
was  conspicuous  for  prayer.  Never  went  forth  a 
warrior  at  his  own  charges  or  a  prophet  in  his 
own  strength.     All  Spirit-filled  men  have  come 


INTRODUCTION  19 

by  their  power  in  the  same  way — by  prayer  and 
by  a  study  of  prayer. 

In  the  Scriptures  prayer-power  is  regarded  as 
the  universal  inheritance  of  believers,  the  prom- 
ised possession  of  saints,  available  to  all  and 
always  available.  It  is  not  mentioned  in  the 
Decalogue,  nor  named  among  the  New  Testa- 
ment gifts,  but  it  is  rather  represented  as  an  ideal 
condition  to  which  the  children  of  the  King 
should  aspire,  an  unceasing  exercise  which  makes 
men  the  effective  instruments  of  God.  In  fine, 
prayer  as  a  spiritual  power  is  possible  to  all,  but 
for  the  office  of  teacher  and  leader,  the  minister 
requires,  by  spiritual  endowment,  natural  gifts, 
and  unusual  culture,  to  become  what  is  termed  in 
other  lines  "a  specialist"  in  his  subject.  May 
we,  therefore,  like  His  disciples  of  old,  sit  lowly 
at  the  Master's  feet  in  loving  filial  reverence. 
May  His  Holy  Spirit  guide  us — heart  and  mind 
and  will — into  all  truth,  and  sanctify  us  unto  all 
service.  To  that  end  may  our  study  be  a  true 
"waiting  on  the  Lord"  in  the  hunger  of  expectant 
prayer.  And  may  we  tarry  "until  we  be  clothed 
with  power  from  on  high." 

But  on  the  very  threshold  of  our  study  we  are 
confronted  by  objections  to  the  use  of  extempo- 
raneous prayer  in  public  worship,  and  though  it 
may  seem  like  a  digression  to  refer  to  these  here, 
it  will  not  be  fruitless  to  do  so,  inasmuch  as  we 
need,  for  an  intelligent  consideration  of  the  sub- 
ject, to  have  the  whole  field  before  us. 


CHAPTER  II 

FREE  WORSHIP   VERSUS  FORMULARIES 

It  is  not  requisite  to  our  present  purpose  to  dis- 
cuss at  length  the  relative  merits  of  those  types 
of  service  which  rival  free  worship,  yet  they 
merit  more  than  passing  reference,  since  if  we 
would  apprehend  the  defects,  or  appreciate  the 
merits  of  our  own,  we  must  examine  the  claims 
of  superiority  made  by  the  other  two  types  of 
worship.  Free  worship  is  rejected  and  criticised 
by  two  sections  of  the  Christian  church.  Both 
of  these  use  formularies  in  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary,  but  one  class  is  "ritualistic,"  the  other 
merely  liturgical. 

RITUALISTIC    SACERDOTALISM 

The  priesthood  of  this  section  of  the  church 
claim,  in  a  peculiar  way,  to  be  an  exclusive  chan- 
nel of  regenerative  grace,  and  to  possess  by 
divine  commission  a  supernatural  authority  over 
laymen  in  matters  of  religion. 

Possession  of  unique  powers  by  the  priest 
separates  priest  and  people,  elevating  the  former 
to  a  position  of  eminence.  It  is  his  duty  to  exer- 
cise certain  of  the  functions  of  religion  for  the 
laity.  "Christ,"  says  the  Roman  Catholic 
Catechism,  "left  to  the  pastors  of  His  church  the 
power    of    forgiving  sins."      Not  only  has    the 

20 


FREE  WORSHIP  V.  FORMULARIES    21 

priesthood  the  power  of  the  keys  "to  bind  and  to 
loose,"  but  men  are  deemed  incompetent  to  think 
for  themselves  in  religious  matters,  hence  the 
necessity  of  a  supreme  and  infallible  "authority." 

LITURGICAL    WORSHIP 

For  any  fair  comparison  of  liturgical  and  free 
worship,  it  is  essential  to  remember  that  the  use 
of  a  formulary  need  not  involve  the  doctrines 
which  distinctively  Protestantism  lives  to  com- 
bat. Any  church  of  any  faith  might  adopt  with- 
out modification  of  its  tenets  a  fixed  order  of 
worship.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  many  evangelical 
branches  of  the  church,  both  in  Europe  and 
America,  use  a  liturgy  in  the  sanctuary  service, 
not  because  their  doctrines  necessitate  it,  as  in 
the  case  of  sacerdotal  ritualism,  but  because  they 
deem  a  formulary  preferable  to  free  worship. 

From  the  liturgical  standpoint  the  case  may  be 
thus  summarized.  A  liturgy  has  "a  certain  state- 
liness  of  thought  and  charm  of  style  which  satisfy 
the  ear  and  cling  to  the  memory."  It  "makes  the 
worshippers  independent  of  the  officiating  clergy- 
man, so  that  his  faults  do  not  hinder  their  devo- 
tions." Affording  a  common  and  uniform  means 
of  worship,  it  serves  to  bind  together  all  the  mem- 
bers of  the  church  into  one  fellowship  and  loyalty. 
It  is  "especially  suitable  for  old  people,  because 
of  its  unchanging  form  of  words,  .  .  .  and  for 
young  people,  because  their  interest  is  sustained 
and  they  have  some  part  in  the  worship." 
Negatively,  it  is  urged  against  non-liturgical  wor- 


22  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD  ' 

ship  that  it  possesses  no  uniformity,  the  people 
take  but  little  part  in  the  service,  and  are  exposed 
to  the  doctrinal  bias  and  personal  peculiarities  of 
the  minister.  But  chiefest  among  the  objec- 
tions is  that  lodged  against  "extemporaneous" 
prayer,  by  which  is  always  meant  unpremeditated 
prayer, — in  Dr.  Bethune's  phrase,  "the  un- 
chastened  promptings  of  the  mind  or  uncorrected 
effusions  of  the  heart." 

FREE    WORSHIP 

From  the  standpoint  of  free  worship  the  case 
presents  a  contrast  chiefly  in  three  respects:  In 
regard  to  the  fixed  uniformity  of  the  service;  in 
regard  to  its  general  cast  or  character;  and  in 
regard  to  prayer. 

First,  in  regard  to  uniformity,  both  the  types 
we  have  been  considering  are  distinguished  by 
having  a  service  definite  and  exact  which  is  con- 
stantly repeated.  It  is  prescribed  by  authority, 
and  is  kept  invariable  by  attached  penalties. 

In  the  ritualistic  type  the  method  of  worship 
has  doctrinal  significance.  Alteration  of  ritual 
would  invalidate  the  sacraments,  causing  spiritual 
death  to  the  worshipper,  and  bringing  ecclesias- 
tical penalty  upon  the  priest.  In  the  liturgical 
type,  method  has  less  significance.  Its  variation 
is  not  deemed  fatal  to  the  worshipper,  but  it  con- 
stitutes a  violation  of  church  canons,  and  exposes 
the  offending  clergyman  to  ecclesiastical  censure. 
By  this  exclusive  restriction  to  a  definite  service, 
both  types  elevate  method  to  undue  prominence, 


FREE  WORSHIP  V.  FORMULARIES    23 

and  give  it  a  primary  significance.  In  one  case 
it  usurps  the  place  of  spiritual  power,  and  in  the 
other  competes  with  it.  The  contrast  with  free 
worship  is  apparent  in  two  respects.  Whereas 
they  both  to  some  extent  identify  the  spirit  and 
the  form,  free  worship,  by  its  genius,  separates 
them.  One  it  recognizes  as  essential,  the  other 
as  non-essential.  The  spirit  of  worship  is  deemed 
all-important,  the  form  but  subsidiary. 

Secondly,  free  worship  is  distinguished  by 
keeping  the  forms  and  externals  of  worship 
elastic  and  variable.  Any  form  may  be  adopted 
that  commends  itself  as  conducive  to  spiritual 
welfare.  Recognizing  God  as  sole  authority,  it 
accepts  as  divine  the  wide  liberty  of  the  Scrip- 
tures; believing  that  where  the  head  and  the 
heart  are  right  the  worship  will  not  go  far  wrong. 
Indeed,  trusting  the  true  tendency  of  a  renewed 
life,  it  assumes  that  people  may  as  safely  be  left 
free  in  their  worship  as  in  their  living. 

If  man  were  vacant  of  God,  v/orship  (if  such  it 
could  be  called)  would  need  to  be  a  prepared 
article  offered  by  hearts  incapable  of  real  motion, 
but  while  God  is  above  and  within  us,  worship 
will  tend  to  take  on  a  suitable  mood  and  a 
reverent  expression.  So  far  as  doctrinal  bias  is 
concerned,  if  a  minister  be  orthodox  enough  to 
preach  he  will  scarcely  endanger  the  faith  of  the 
flock  by  his  prayers.  So,  while  one  side  prizes 
uniformity,  the  other  values  freedom. 

In  regard  to  the  prayers,  we  believe  that  saying 


/ 


24  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

the  words  of  others  is  not  so  valuable  for  growth 
in  grace  as  expressing  one's  own  thought.  To 
follow  a  formulary  requires  no  original  thought; 
but  if  worship  is  to  sanctify  the  whole  life  it  must 
be  an  exercise  in  thinking,  a  personal  fellowship 
with  God.  To  this  end  free  prayer  is  helpful. 
Because  the  worshipper  does  not  know  what  the 
prayer  of  the  leader  will  be,  his  mind  is  kept  on 
the  alert.  He  must  make  personal  appropriation 
and  application  of  the  prayer  to  his  own  case. 
While  guided  in  the  general  trend  of  his  thought 
he  is  moved  by  the  suggestion  and  inspired  by  the 
sentiment  of  the  leader  to  think  for  himself. 
That  this  is  done  in  silence  makes  it  no  less  "tak- 
ing part"  in  the  service,  and  it  has  this  further 
advantage  that  the  worshipper  prays  with  closed 
eyes  in  holy  secrecy  with  God;  not  with  open 
eyes — an  unprayerful  attitude.  Free  prayer  may 
rarely  possess  the  perfect  exterior  of  a  formula, 
but  it  has  a  fervor  and  warmth,  a  spontaneity  and 
contagion  unfelt  in  a  constant  repetition.  Then 
the  whole  service,  and  especially  the  prayers,  are 
born  of  the  occasion  to  such  an  extent  that 
occurrences  of  the  week  are  brought  into  the 
breathings  of  the  people  with  a  tenderness  and 
appropriateness  impossible  to  prepared  forms. 
Of  course  impromptu  prayer  is  not  recommended. 
That  indeed  is  precisely  what  we  are  condemning. 
The  chief  purpose  of  these  pages  is  the  production 
of  powerful  prayer,  first  by  preparing  the  man, 
and  then  helping  the  man  to  prepare  for  the  office. 


FREE  WORSHIP  V.  FORMULARIES    25 

In  brief,  then,  the  use  of  a  formulary  tends  to 
"formalism"  and  all  that  it  involves  of  injury  to 
the  spirit  and  purpose  of  worship.  Forms  cannot 
be  fixed  and  prescribed  without  destroying  the  dis- 
tinction between  the  essential  and  the  non-essen- 
tial. As  soon  as  they  are  Jixed,  they  begin  to 
impinge  on  the  spirit.  The  adoption  of  even  an 
optional  liturgy  would  tend  to  displace  extem- 
poraneous prayer,  and  to  disqualify  the  pastor  for 
exercising  that  holy  function.  The  use  of  a  form 
is  so  easy  that  natural  inertia  would  lead  to  the 
disuse  of  free  prayer  and  to  the  pastor's  enfeeble- 
ment.  Of  the  most  lauded  liturgy  of  our  day  an 
estimate  is  at  hand  from  a  reliable  source  and  so 
modern  that  its  breath  is  still  warm.  Said  the 
Dean  of  Canterbury  in  a  recent  sermon,  "The 
emptiness  of  many  of  our  churches  shows  the 
need  of  changes  in  our  services.  We  alone  of  all 
churches  go  on  reciting  the  Athanasian  Creed, 
most  unsuitable  for  public  recitation,  most  un- 
charitable and  most  repulsive  to  thousands  of 
those  who  hear  it.  Our  liturgy,  as  many  clergy 
testify,  is  what  the  people  do  not  want,  and  can- 
not understand.  It  is  too  iterative,  too  long,  too 
mechanical,  too  formal.  And  although  fifty  years 
ago  Convocation  agreed  that  some  modification  is 
needful  for  the  people's  spiritual  necessities,  we 
go  on  as  if  smitten  with  paralysis,  and  nothing  is 
done." 

A  severer  indictment  could  scarcely  be  imag- 
ined  yet    it    is    doubtless    just,    for   where    this 


26  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

liturgy  most  flourishes  is  found  the  strongest 
drift  toward  ritualism;  and  ritualism  is  character- 
ized by  a  passion  for  extremes. 

Artificial  services  are  a  development  of  periods 
of  religious  calm,  and  are  marked  by  religious 
decadence.  Whereas,  on  the  other  hand,  every 
great  crisis  of  religious  activity  commonly 
termed  "revival"  or  "reformation"  has  been 
marked  by  the  casting  off  of  religious  parapher- 
nalia and  ceremonial.  For  the  church,  as  for  the 
individual,  intense  religious  life  takes  on  its  own 
expression,  and  it  is  direct,  simple  and  spon- 
taneous. That  it  is  often  marred  by  indecorum 
is  only  proof  that  uncultured  sinners  are  saved, 
and  evidence  that  we  should  teach  religious  deco- 
rum, but  nothing  more  restrictive. 

The  best  method  of  resisting  formalistic  and 
ritualistic  encroachments  is  the  production  of  an 
improved  free  service — more  perfect  in  external 
graces  and  more  powerful  in  prayer — an  educa- 
tional process  deserving  the  profoundest  atten- 
tion and  unflagging  zeal  of  the  church. 


CHAPTER   III 

DEFINITION  OF  PRAYER 

What  is  prayer? 

In  seeking  a  reply  to  this  question  it  is  of  first 
importance  to  realize  that  we  are  dealing  not  with 
a  word  or  a  combination  of  words,  but  with  a 
reality,  a  living  force.  Phrases  are  lifeless; 
words,  are  dead;  no  "word"  can  incarnate  a  de- 
sire— it  requires  a  person  to  do  that.  Phrases  are 
but  the  garments  in  which  aspirations  are  clad. 
The  prayer  itself  is  alive;  its  home  is  the  soul;  its 
nature  spiritual.  It  is  the  "motion  of  hidden  fire 
that  trembles  in  the  breast.'*  Prayer  is  the  soul's 
uplook,  and  out-reach  for  pardon  and  help,  for 
comfort  and  counsel.  As  a  reality  it  subsists 
independently  of  speech. 

Prayer  gains  nothing  on  the  divine  side  by 
being  framed  into  language.  Word  formularies 
can  serve  no  part  in  interpreting  man's  wants  to 
the  Almighty.  Those  He  already  is  acquainted 
with,  "for  your  Father  knoweth  what  things  ye 
have  need  of  before  ye  ask  him";  but  articulate 
speech  helps  to  make  more  intelligible  to  man 
himself,  his  own  end  of  the  heavenly  commerce. 
Prayer  is  communion  with  God;  a  spiritual  ex- 
perience in  which  man — a  spirit — holds  inter- 
course with  the  Father  of  Spirits.  Not  only  is  it 
on  a  higher  plane  than  its  expression,  but  it  also 

27 


28  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

transcends  reason.  Moving  in  the  same  direction 
as  reason,  indeed,  it  is  a  hand  that  reaches  far 
beyond  its  own  body — the  invisible  hand  of  faith. 
In  Browning's  phrase — 

"A  man's  reach  should  exceed  his  grasp. 
Or  what's  a  Heaven  for?" 

The  implication  in  these  figures,  however,  must 
not  be  interpreted  in  terms  of  distance,  but  in 
terms  of  difference;  for,  "The  Lord  is  nigh  unto 
all  them  that  call  upon  him,  to  all  that  call  upon 
him  in  truth"  (Ps.  145:  18).  God's  Word  and 
Christian  experience  are  full  of  this  assurance. 

In  the  Scriptures  prayer  is  described  as  "draw- 
ing near  to  God,"  as  "lifting  up  our  souls,"  or 
"pouring  out  our  hearts  unto  Him."  The  term 
itself  at  one  time  freely  used  of  petitions  to  men, 
courts,  kings,  etc.,  is  now  restricted  chiefly  to 
man's  Maker;  moreover,  this  change  in  the  sig- 
nification of  words  which  accompanies  and  assists 
the  development  of  language  has  affected 
"prayer"  greatly  to  its  enrichment.  According 
to  its  proper  or  etymological  meaning  it  signifies 
petition  or  request,  but  as  used  of  Christian  wor- 
ship to-day  its  content  includes  also  adoration, 
confession,  and  thanksgiving.  Consequently 
definitions  of  prayer  are  made  inclusive  of  these 
conceptions.     To  quote  the  Shorter  Catechism; 

"Prayer  is  an  offering  up  of  our  desires  unto 
God,  for  things  agreeable  to  His  will,  in  the  name 
of  Christ,  with  confession  of  our  sins,  and  thank- 
ful acknowledgment  of  His  mercies.'* 


DEFINITION  OF  PRAYER  29 

The  new  Catechism  of  the  Free  Churches  of 
England  and  Wales  answers  the  question,  "What 
is  prayer?"  thus: 

"In  prayer  we  commune  with  our  Father  in 
Heaven,  confess  our  sins,  give  Him  thanks  for  all 
His  benefits,  and  ask,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  for 
such  things  as  He  has  promised." 

Excellent  definitions,  both,  though  neither  of 
them  brings  "adoration"  into  prominence,  and 
the  latter  fails  to  make  explicit  the  fundamental 
condition  of  effectual  prayer,  viz.,  that  it  must  be 
in  accord  with  the  Divine  Will.  Wherefore  we 
venture  the  following: 

Prayer  is  communion  with  God,  wherein  we 
adore  Him,  confessing  our  sins,  thank  Him  for 
mercies  received,  and  under  the  Holy  Spirit's 
influence  ask  for  things  agreeable  to  His  will;  and 
all  in  the  name  of  Christ. 

In  favor  of  this  definition  it  may  be  said,  that 
by  defining  prayer  as  "communion"  attention  is 
drawn  to  one  phase  of  prayer  that  is  always  im- 
plied but  often  forgotten,  namely,  that  com- 
munion is  a  mutual  act — a  receiving  as  well  as  an 
imparting  experience.  In  it  we  not  only  com- 
mune with  God,  but  God  also  communes  with  us. 
The  mercy-seat  is  not  so  much  a  place  of  petition 
for  "things"  as  a  tryst  for  intercommunion. 
Thither  we  go  to  speak  to  the  King,  and  there  we 
should  wait  to  hear  His  voice.  The  one  is  an  easy 
thing,  the  other  not  so  easy,  not  so  common. 
We  do  not  practice  listening  to  God  as  much  as 


30  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

we  do  talking  to  Him.  The  receptive  part  of 
communion  is  the  part  least  practiced,  but  the 
part  most  needed — because  it  is  in  the  receptive 
act  that  faith  is  exercised,  appropriating  God's 
manifold  benefits,  wisdom,  grace,  etc.  This 
should  not  only  be  implied  in  the  definition,  but 
it  must  be  understood. 

It  may  be  well  at  this  point  to  observe  that  for 
purposes  of  education,  definitions  have  a  place 
and  worth  all  their  own,  since  in  the  light  of  such 
systematic  description  one  can  justify  or  com- 
plete his  conception  of  the  reality  thus  symbol- 
ized. But  a  living  conception  is  worth  more  than 
any  definition;  the  one  is  the  soul,  of  which  the 
other  is  merely  the  body.  This  further  truth 
holds,  that  an  ultimate  truth  cannot  be  defined, 
and  prayer  belongs  to  this  category.  To  be 
known  it  must  be  experienced.  As  a  definition 
of  light  or  color  is  meaningless  to  the  sightless, 
or  description  of  music  futile  to  the  deaf,  so 
words  alone  can  never  convey  the  significance  of 
prayer.  Its  chief  characteristics  may  indeed  be 
indicated,  but  beyond  all  definition  and  descrip- 
tion is  the  mysterious  reality  of  which  words  can 
only  be  symbols  and  thought  but  shadows. 

Still  more,  to  know  is  not  to  know  in  full,  for 
ever-widening  experience  deepens  and  enriches 
knowledge.  Therefore  open  wide  the  heart;  let 
the  intellect  exercise  its  finest  powers  to  attain  a 
true  conception  of  that  spiritual  reality  about 
which  we  are  speaking,  for,  standing  in  the  light 


DEFINITION  OF  PRAYER  31 

of  revelation  and  science,  it  maybe  asserted  there 
is  no  force  equal  in  compelling  power  to  the 
dynamic  of  a  great  thought.  Grant  it  admittance 
into  your  life,  and  it  goes  to  work  silently, 
secretly,  successfully;  "as  resistless  as  gravita- 
tion, as  tireless  as  time,  as  silent  as  life,  as  death- 
less as  truth,  this  great  idea  moves  on, 
downcasting  and  upbuilding  with  a  magic  of 
method  and  result  more  wonderful  than  the 
springtime."  A  great  thought,  blending  with 
the  life  whose  stream  it  augments,  becomes 
eternal;  it  swells  the  forces  by  so  much  new  life, 
and  where,  as  in  prayer,  the  soul  is  linked  to 
God,  it  is  His  life  that  flows  into  the  widened 
channels  of  being.  Our  life  is  fed  and  developed 
and  transformed  by  intercourse  with  its  Author. 
Prayer  is  the  vital  stream  between  God  and  man. 
What  are  called  "prayers"  are  the  word-crafts 
that  float  on  this  spiritual  stream. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE   DIFFERENT   PARTS  OF  PRAYER 

One  of  the  most  helpful  means  for  avoiding 
confusion  in  prayer  and  for  making  our  thought 
intelligent  to  others  is  to  remember  that  what  are 
called  different  "parts"  of  prayer  correspond  to 
different  mental  attitudes.  When  we  contem- 
plate what  God  is,  that  is  adoration;  when 
thought  is  turned  to  what  He  has  done  or  pro- 
vided for  us,  that  is  thanksgiving;  petition  is 
seeking  benefits  for  ourselves;  while  pleading  for 
the  sake  of  others  is  called  intercession;  but 
when  the  mind  is  bent  upon  our  own  condition 
and  we  acknowledge  sin,  that  is  confession,  and 
the  mental  act  in  which  fealty  is  pledged  to 
Heaven  is  called  consecration,  or,  more  properly, 
dedication. 

A  few  words  on  each: 

Adoration  comes  logically  first,  and  in  the 
Model  Prayer  occupies  the  foremost  place. 
"Our  Father,  which  art  in  heaven;  hallowed  be 
thy  name."  Adoration  is  that  approach  of  the 
soul  to  God  which,  sensible  of  His  love,  majesty, 
holiness  and  infinite  greatness,  feels,  and  seeks 
more  fully  to  feel,  the  awe,  reverence  and  holy 
affection  due  to  His  great  name;  transcending 
admiration  and  wonder,  it  is  a  blending  of  love 

32 


DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  PRAYER      33 

with  the  fervent  desire  that  all  the  world  should 
know  and  magnify  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  A 
poet's  fine  frenzy  or  a  scientist's  noble  enthusiasm 
may  fall  far  short  of  this;  for  to  the  fullest  tide  of 
feeling  and  the  highest  reach  of  reason,  adoration 
adds  something  partaking  of  personal  allegiance. 
Not  in  petition  nor  intercession,  not  in  confession 
nor  thanksgiving,  is  found  the  highest  altitudes  of 
worship,  but  in  adoration  and  consecration.  Its 
act  is  self-surrender  to  the  King,  and  its  lan- 
guage, "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all 
that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy  name."  Adora- 
tion lives  not  as  a  separate  thing,  comes  not 
always  to  definite  expression,  but  is  present  in  all 
reverent  invocation  of  God  and  flows  like  a  per- 
manent undercurrent  in  all  true  prayer.  It  is 
often  felt  when  unvoiced,  and  should  make  itself 
heard  in  all  audible  prayer  as  an  undertone. 

Praise  is  not  usually  denominated  prayer,  since 
its  expression  is  ever  associated  with  music,  but 
the  heart's  desire,  of  which  psalm  and  song  are 
but  the  utterance,  is  truly  communion  with  the 
Eternal.  In  one  respect  also  praise  joins  adora- 
tion in  a  contrast  over  against  all  other  acts  of 
devotion.  In  confession,  petition  and  thanksgiv- 
ing, the  worshipper's  attitude  is  that  of  human 
need,  consciousness  of  self  mingling  with  the 
thought  of  God;  but  in  adoration  and  in  praise  it 
is  otherwise;  here  no  thought  of  self  remains; 
but  the  spirit  soaring  on  glad  wing  to  God  dwells 
in  rapture  on  His  all-glorious  perfections;    sense 


34  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

of  self  is  lost  in  that  divinest  joy  a  human  heart 
can  know. 

We  mention  "praise"  here  for  two  reasons: 
first,  because  the  "adoration,"  which  comprises 
too  small  a  proportion  of  public  prayer  in  gen- 
eral, is  compensated  for  in  part  by  the  volume  of 
adoration  resident  in  praise;  and  next  because 
praise  falls  logically  between  adoration  and 
thanksgiving  (our  next  head),  since  these  two 
forms  of  prayer  comprise  the  chief  factors  of 
praise. 

Thanksgiving  is  that  department  of  prayer 
which  makes  grateful  recognition  of  the  fact  that 
"every  good  gift,  and  every  perfect  gift  is  from 
above  and  cometh  down  from  the  father  of 
lights"  (Jas.  i:  17).  Although  not  enjoined 
explicitly  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  it  is  present  there 
as  an  atmosphere,  and,  indeed,  as  such  should 
permeate  all  worship.  The  very  petition,  "give 
us  this  day  our  daily  bread,"  recognizes  God  as 
the  All-Giver  to  whom  man  must  look  for  bless- 
ing, and  to  whom,  by  all  the  worthy  instincts  of 
his  nature,  he  is  taught  to  return  thanksgiving. 
Not  merely  like  the  flowers,  unconsciously  ex- 
haling the  incense-sweetness  of  a  fragrant  life, 
but,  because  man  is  more  than  a  flower,  he  is  en- 
joined by  Scripture  as  well  as  prompted  by  intel- 
ligence to  give  glad  utterance  to  his  gratitude. 

"Offer  unto  God  the  sacrifice  of  thanksgiving 
and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High"  (Ps. 
50: 14). 


DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  PRAYER      35 

"With  thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be  made 
known  unto  God"  (Phil.  4:6). 

"Let  us  come  before  his  presence  with  thanks- 
giving" (Ps.  95:2). 

"Enter  into  his  gates  with  thanksgiving,  and 
into  his  courts  with  praise;  give  thanks  unto 
him,  and  bless  his  name"  (Ps.  100:  4). 

Endless  are  the  phrases  of  similar  significance: 
"created  to  be  received  with  thanksgiving," — 
"abounding  therein  with  thanksgiving," — "watch 
in  the  same  with  thanksgiving," — "abundant  by 
many  thanksgivings  to  God,"  etc. 

But  why  lengthen  the  list?  All  examples, 
human  and  divine,  reveal  the  law  that  gratitude 
for  past  bounty  is  the  best  preparation  for  future 
benefits.  Acceptable  petition  presupposes  appre- 
ciation. Any  feature  of  prayer  conveying  the 
impression  that  God  gives  with  reluctance  stul- 
tifies the  soul. 

*'Tlie  Sun,  and  every  vassal  star, 

All  space  beyond  the  soar  of  angel  wings 
Wait  on  His  word ;  and  yet  He  stays  His  ear 
For  every  sigh  a  contrite  suppliant  brings." 

The  injunction  "pray  without  ceasing,"  is  not 
to  be  interpreted  as  though  it  read  "ask  without 
ceasing,"  but  rather  in  that  Pauline  spirit  which"in 
everything' '  gives  thanks,  for  that  is  the  will  of  God. 

Confession.  In  accordance  with  ihe  contrast 
above  noted  we  now  turn  our  gaze  from  the  con- 
templation of  Jehovah,  to  bend  it  on  the  soul. 
Self  looks  at   self,   and  feels   its  sad  condition. 


36  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Confession  may  be  said  to  be  the  soul's  endeavor 
to  tell  its  sense  of  sin.  But  what  it  tells,  and  all 
it  tells,  must  first  be  felt;  and  all  the  virtue  in 
confession  is  to  feel  the  sinfulness  of  sin  as  it 
ought  to  be  felt  by  him  who  sins.  To  say  we 
have  sinned  and  not  to  realize  the  deathly  guilt 
of  sin,  its  horrid  stain,  is  but  to  play  at  prayer. 
Then  how  can  man,  imperfect  man,  a  perfect 
sense  of  sin  obtain,  or  see  himself  as  God  beholds 
him?  That  may  not  be;  but  this  is  plain,  man's 
knowledge  is  by  contrast;  the  clearer  his  vision 
of  God  the  greater  his  sense  of  sin.  It  was  in  the 
light  of  that  vision,  when  Isaiah  beheld  "the 
Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne  high  and  lifted  up," 
that  he  became  conscious  of  his  true  condition 
and  cried:  "Woe  is  me  for  I  am  undone,  because 
I  am  a  man  of  unclean  lips;  and  I  dwell  in  the 
midst  of  a  people  of  unclean  lips;  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  the  King,  the  Lord  of  hosts"  (Isa.  6:5). 
And  Peter,  too,  discovered  what  he  was  by  near- 
ness to  his  Lord,  and  marvelling  pleaded,  "Depart 
from  me,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  O  Lord"  (Luke 
5:  8).  To  this  experience  the  Word  helps  a  man. 
In  this  experience  the  agent  is  the  Holy  Spirit; 
convicting  him  of  sin,  convincing  him  of  right- 
eousness, and  impressing  upon  him  the  certainty 
of  a  judgment  to  come. 

A  realization  of  sin  is  the  prerequisite  to  con- 
fession, confession  to  pardon,  and  pardon  to  both 
happiness  and  fitness  for  service.  So  far  from 
being  a  matter  of  words,  confession  is  an  expe- 


DIFFERENT  PARTS  OF  PRAYER      37 

rience  of  the  soul  too  deep  for  expression.  At 
this  point  it  is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  helpeth  our 
infirmity  and  maketh  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered.  But  the  con- 
fession of  sin  which  cries  we  are  miserable  sin- 
ners, yet  falls  short  of  true  "heart-searching," 
serves  to  cover  instead  of  "exposing"  sin;  an 
injury  to  him  who  would  worship  and  a  profanity 
in  the  sight  of  Heaven. 

Petition  is  that  department  of  communion  with 
God  which  "makes  known"  our  wants,  and 
"asks"  that  we  may  receive.  It  is  the  expressed 
hunger  and  thirst  in  response  to  which  blessing  is 
promised.  Matt.  7:7^^'-  "Ask  and  ye  shall 
receive,  seek  and  ye  shall  find,  knock. and  it  shall 
be  opened  unto  you." 

"Blessed  are  they  which  do  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  for  they  shall  be  filled" 
(Matt.  5:6). 

"Let  your  requests  be  made  known  unto  God" 
(Phil.  4:6). 

Intercession  is  that  department  of  our  devo- 
tions in  which  sympathy  for  our  fellow  men  goes 
up  to  God  in  quest  of  benefits  for  them.  This 
kind  of  interest  on  behalf  of  others  is  frequently 
enjoined  in  the  Scriptures  and  by  our  Lord  is  laid 
as  a  solemn  duty  upon  all  His  followers.  Not 
only  are  we  taught  to  "pray  one  for  another" 
(Jas.  5:  16),  as  friend  for  friend  is  fond  of  doing, 
but  also  for  the  heathen.  "Ask  of  me  and  I  will 
give  thee  the  nations  for  thine  inheritance  and  the 


38  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession" 
(Ps.  2:8).  Further  still  for  our  enemies,  "Pray 
for  them  which  despitefuUy  use  you  and  persecute 
you  that  ye  may  be  the  children  of  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven"  (Matt.  5:44).  And  more 
widely  still,  "I  exhort  therefore  .  .  .  that  suppli- 
cations, prayers,  intercessions  and  giving  of 
thanks  be  made  for  all  men"  (i  Tim.  2:  i). 

Dedication  accompanies  all  real  prayer,  as  a 
strand  in  the  cord  which  binds  the  redeemed  to 
the  Redeemer,  and  though  not  of  necessity 
always  expressed,  is  present  as  an  intention  to 
new  and  higher  obedience.  Where  consciously 
we  bring  our  purpose  into  prayer  the  act  may 
be  denominated  as  vowing  or  dedication,  for  a 
definite  pledge  or  contract  is  made  with  God 
binding  to  fulfillment  by  actual  deeds  as  implied. 
Ps.  116:  14:  'T  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the  Lord 
now  in  the  presence  of  all  his  people." 

Before  leaving  this  theme,  a  word  incidentally. 
Consecration  is  not  mentioned  in  our  definition  of 
prayer.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  a  line  must 
be  drawn  at  some  point,  as  there  is  no  desire  to 
make  the  term  prayer  synonymous  with  "wor- 
ship," although  so  closely  akin.  In  the  famous 
maxim,  ''laborare  est  orare,''  this  has  been  done; 
but  a  margin  should  be  observed;  for  worship,  the 
wider  term,  includes  not  only  devotion  but  also 
the  reading  and  expounding  of  Scripture,  observ- 
ance of  the  sacraments,  and  all  self-sacrifice, 
martyrdom,  and  fealty  to  God. 


CHAPTER  V 

PUBLIC    AS    DISTINGUISHED    FROM     PRIVATE 
PRAYER 

Unless  the  student  becomes  seized  of  the  char- 
acteristic distinction  between  public  and  private 
prayer,  he  will  neither  properly  discriminate 
between  them,  nor  realize  why  so  much  prepara- 
tion is  necessary  for  the  one  that  is  not  needed 
for  the  other.  In  all  heart  qualities  there  is  no 
distinction;  prayer,  public  and  private,  are  alike 
in  relation  to  God;  but  in  extraneous  circum- 
stances, in  purpose,  and  in  expression,  public 
prayer  possesses  elements  absent  from  private 
prayer,  and  this  because  of  its  influence,  not  upon 
God,  but  upon  men. 

In  private  prayer  the  individual  in  secret  bares 
his  heart  before  the  Almighty,  tells  his  own  story 
of  want  or  worship  in  his  own  way;  he  may  use 
words  to  voice  his  longing,  or  allow  inexpressible 
yearning  to  feel  its  way  to  the  Heart  Divine,  but 
whatever  the  mode  of  expression  it  affects  no 
other  worshipper.  This  condition  ever  obtains; 
private  prayer  is  between  the  soul  and  its  Maker 
alone — God  understands,  and  no  other  person 
needs  to. 

The  term  "public  prayer"  is  applied  to  all  de- 
votion in  which  one  voice  leads  the  worship  of 

39 


40  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

others.  More  strictly  it  is  used  of  regular  church 
service  where  the  numbers  are  large,  but  as  a  dis- 
tinctive term  is  applicable  likewise  to  social  and 
domestic  devotion.  But  beyond  all  difference  of 
time,  place  and  circumstance,  is  this  feature,  that 
the  leader's  prayer  affects,  and  is  expected  very 
much  to  affect,  the  devotion  of  his  fellow-wor- 
shippers, who  amidst  more  or  less  silence,  add 
the  weight  of  their  own  thought  or  passion  to  the 
audible  prayer.  This  responsibility  resting  upon 
the  leader,  who  must  resist  the  disconcertment 
incidental  to  the  presence  of  numbers,  conquer 
his  own  subjective  feebleness,  and  intelligently 
and  impressively  represent  a  congregation  in 
prayer,  is  by  no  means  light.  Without  disturb- 
ing the  student  we  may  say  it  is  enormous.  All 
the  more  readily  does  it  become  apparent  there- 
fore that  to  accomplish  so  lofty  a  purpose  effec- 
tually the  pastor  requires  mastery  of  the  principles 
involved  in  the  forms  and  expression  of  audible 
prayer. 

The  purpose  of  public  prayer,  it  will  be 
observed,  so  far  as  it  affects  human  auditors,  is 
not  primarily  instruction  or  persuasion  as  in 
preaching,  but  to  inspire  devotion.  It  is  not 
sufficient  for  the  leader  to  pray  alone;  he  must 
impart  uplift  to  his  audience;  he  must  move  the 
people.  This  is  patent;  either  he  leads  his  hear- 
ers or  he  leaves  them.  If  the  latter,  he  fails  in 
the  very  office  he  is  called  to  fulfill. 

So  far  as  the  leader  is  concerned,  therefore,  he 


PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  PRAYER      41 

begins  with  a  definite  design.  He  is  sensible,  not 
only  of  God  and  self,  as  in  private  prayer,  but 
has  upon  his  heart  the  varied  interests  of  the  con- 
gregation and  sets  himself  to  lead  their  thinking 
through  appropriate  channels  up  to  penitence, 
confession,  aspiration,  adoration,  and  that  reso- 
lution to  obedience  which  chains  the  soul  to  new 
endeavor.  Now  to  plan  prayer  for  the  capture  of 
the  unworshipful,  and  then  to  conduct  them 
through  the  various  phases  of  worship  necessary 
to  high  attainment  and  nobler  ideals,  requires  an 
intelligent  view  of  what  worship  includes,  and 
also  a  knowledge  of  the  principles  involved  in 
gaining  and  guiding  the  thought  of  men.  Even 
to  realize  what  may  be  done  is  a  matter  of  no 
small  moment. 


CHAPTER  VI 

PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER 

So  important  is  it  to  realize  the  need  of  proper 
preparation  for  the  office  of  public  prayer  that  in 
addition  to  the  argument  presented  in  the  Intro- 
duction, and  before  we  enter  upon  the  theme 
itself,  we  invite  respectful  attention  to  the  im- 
pressive statements  of  several  acknowledged 
authorities  on  this  subject.  To  commence  with 
Professor  Dabney,  he  observes:  "Some  affect  to 
think  that  the  spiritual  nature  of  the  exercise 
ought  to  preclude  preparation;  that  because  it  is 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  teaches  us  to  pray,  we 
should  not  attempt  to  teach  ourselves.  This 
argument  is  a  renewal  of  fanatical  enthusiasm. 
Should  we  not  2X^0  preach  with  the  Spirit?  Why, 
then,  do  we  not  extend  the  same  sophisms  to 
inhibit  preparation  of  the  sermon?  The  answer 
is  that  the  Holy  Spirit  does  not  suspend  the 
exercise  of  our  own  faculties.  He  works  through 
them  as  instruments  and  in  strict  conformity  with 
their  rational  nature.  He  assists  and  elevates 
them.  He  helps  us  also  in  prompting  us  to  help 
ourselves.  Bethink  yourselves,  my  young 
brethren,  that  it  is  no  slight  undertaking  to  guide 
a  whole  congregation  to  the  throne  of  heavenly 
grace  and  to  be  their  spokesman  to  God.      To 

42 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  43 

speak  for  God  to  man  is  a  sacred  and  responsible 
task.  To  speak  for  men  to  God  is  not  less  re- 
sponsible, and  is  more  solemn." 

Accept  also  this  counsel.  A  minister — and 
more  especially  a  young  minister — should  "no 
more  venture  into  the  pulpit  with  an  impromptu 
prayer  than  with  an  impromptu  sermon." 

On  the  same  subject  Professor  Broadus  writes: 
"H^  who  leads  a  great  congregation  in"  prayer, 
who  undertakes  to  express  what  they  feel,  or 
ought  to  feel,  before  God,  to  give  utterance  to 
their  adoration,  confession,  supplication,  assumes 
a  very  heavy  responsibility.  We  all  readily 
agree,  and  sometimes  partially  realize,  that  it  is 
a  solemn  thing  to  speak  to  the  people  for  God;  is 
it  less  so,  when  we  speak  to  God  for  the  people? 
Whatever  preparation  is  possible  for  performing 
this  duty  ought  surely  to  be  most  carefully  made. 
And  yet,  while  very  few  now  question  the 
propriety  of  preparation  both  general  and  special, 
for  the  work  of  preaching,  it  is  feared  the  great 
majority  still  utterly  neglect  to  prepare  them- 
selves for  the  conduct  of  prayer." 

Another  kind  of  argument  is  introduced  by  an 
equally  eminent  author.  Prof.  W.  S.  Blaikie, 
who  says  of  public  prayer:  "It  is  undoubtedly  a 
grave  charge,  for  which  there  is  but  too  much 
occasion,  that  in  our  churches  the  devotional  part 
of  the  service  is  often  conducted  with  little  care 
and  preparation.  It  may  happen  that  if  a 
preacher  has  fluency  enough  in  the  language  of 


44  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

prayer  to  carry  him  on  for  the  usual  time  without 
difficulty,  he  does  not  think  of  what  he  is  to  pray 
for,  until  he  rises  with  the  congregation  to  begin 
the  exercise  ...  it  may  possibly  be  an  excellent 
prayer,  but  is  it  conscientious,  is  it  respectful  to 
God,  is  it  fair  to  the  congregation,  for  the  man 
who  is  to  be  their  mouthpiece  at  the  throne  of 
grace  to  rush  into  so  solemn  and  momentous  a 
service  with  hardly  a  thought  of  it  beforehand? 
He  may  do  it  well  enough,  remarkably  well,  in 
the  circumstances,  but  can  it  be  that  he  will  do  it 
in  the  best  possible  manner?  And  is  this  a  serv- 
ice that  a  conscientious  servant  of  God  should  be 
content  to  do  except  in  the  best  possible  way? 
.  .  .  Will  the  prayer  be  free  from  repetition, 
clumsiness,  circumlocutions,  and  other  incum- 
brances, which  Bible  prayers  never  contain? 
Who  can  say  that  it  will?  Or  who  can  say  that  it 
is  right  to  trust  all  to  the  Spirit  helping  our  in- 
firmities at  the  moment  if  we  neglect  what  we 
might  do  beforehand  towards  the  more  thorough 
performance  of  the  duty?" 

Enforcing  the  need  of  preparation  for  public 
prayer,  Washington  Gladden  affirms: 

"Inspiration  is  not  caprice;  it  must  follow  the 
law  which  conditions  all  divine  intervention  in 
behalf  of  men.  The  gods  help  those  who  help 
themselves.  The  grace  of  God  is  not  given  to 
relieve  us  from  effort  or  to  discourage  us  from 
responsibility,  but  to  supplement  our  powers,  and 
to  stimulate  our  activity.     Luther  said  that  prayer 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  45 

is  study,  and  it  is  true — beru  orasse  est  bene 
studuisse ;  but  it  is  not  less  true  that  study  is 
prayer.  The  diligent  preparation  of  the  mind 
for  the  heavenly  gifts  is  the  indispensable  condi- 
tion of  the  bestowment  of  these  gifts." 

If  you  cannot  correct  your  defects  without 
becoming  artificial,  better  blunder  in  earnest  than 
say  prayers  without  soul.  If  you  cannot  increase 
your  knowledge  of  the  subject  without  sacrificing 
yourself  to  rules,  better — far  better — remain  in 
ignorance  and  let  your  zeal  burn.  But  why 
should  acquaintance  with  your  theme  reduce  your 
efficiency?  Rest  assured  it  will  not.  The  widest 
and  profoundest  preparation  of  head  and  heart, 
by  private  prayer  and  holy  living,  by  reading  and 
much  meditation,  will  reveal  itself  in  the  power 
of  your  ministrations  at  the  altar. 

Preparation  for  public  prayer  is  of  two  kinds: 

A.  Subjective. 

B.  Objective. 

A.  Subjective  preparation  includes  all  those 
qualifications  of  heart,  and  mind,  and  personal 
power,  which  enable  a  man  to  enter  deeply  into 
communion  with  God  and  to  exert  a  profound 
influence  upon  men.  It  falls,  therefore,  into  two 
branches.  One  of  these,  that  is,  the  relation  of 
the  heart  towards  God  as  an  essential  condition  of 
effectual  prayer,  is  dealt  with  under  "Conditions 
of  Prayer,"  Chap.  VII.  The  other,  the  influence  of 
personality  as  it  tells  upon  an  audience  in  prayer,  is 
what  we  are  more  especially  concerned  with  here. 


46  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

When  a  minister  enters  the  pulpit  he  takes 
thither  more  than  a  prepared  sermon — ^he  takes 
himself.  And  he  ought  to  take  a  prepared  self; 
for  what  he  is  counts  mightily  in  his  business 
there.  If  his  life  endorse  his  counsels,  a  silent 
but  immeasurable  force  is  added  to  his  message. 
On  the  contrary,  if  doubt  obscure  his  fair  name, 
inestimable  is  the  loss.  And  his  task  will  be- 
come utterly  hopeless  should  his  people  feel, 
though  they  say  it  not,  "What  you  are  thunders 
so  loud  we  cannot  hear  what  you  say."  How- 
beit,  personality  must  be  taken  to  include  more 
than  moral  character,  though,  fortunately  for  the 
world,  moral  quality  represents  the  core  of  the 
larger  power.  Using  the  term  in  its  popular, 
rather  than  in  its  metaphysical,  sense,  it  stands 
for  a  force  over  and  above  speech  and  action. 
Neither  seen,  nor  felt,  nor  heard,  it  is  inferred 
from  what  is  seen  and  felt  and  heard.  As  per- 
sonal worth  it  adds  weight,  and  as  personal 
peculiarity  it  puts  the  stamp  of  individuality  upon 
a  man's  every  word  and  deed.  In  no  place  is  the 
personal  factor  of  such  moment  as  in  the  pulpit. 
This  we  know  will  not  be  denied,  yet  the  practical 
worth  of  the  principle  involved  is  much  reduced 
by  a  common  and  discouraging  misconception. 
It  is  assumed  that  personality  is  an  unalterable 
quantity  fixed  by  natal  endowments,  and  conse- 
quently beyond  individual  control. 

So  damaging  an  error  must  contain  some 
moiety  of  truth   in  order  at  all  to  float.      How 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  47 

comes  this  half-He  by  its  weight?  The  truth  is, 
that  God  who  bestows  talents  upon  us,  does 
determine  their  upper  limitations.  Beyond  his 
highest  register  a  man  cannot  go.  By  no  amount 
of  effort  could  an  ordinary  man  make  himself  a 
Plato,  or  Napoleon,  or  Shakespeare;  nor  could  a 
Plato  make  a  Napoleon,  or  Shakespeare  of  him- 
self. The  number,  the  nature,  the  variety,  the 
combination  of  our  gifts  are  divinely  determined. 
A  power,  not  ourselves,  decides  who  are  to  be 
artists,  inventors,  mechanics,  poets,  prophets, 
etc.  In  other  words,  the  sovereignty  of  God  is 
not  handed  over  to  humanity. 

But  who  ever  discovered  the  immense  range  of 
his  possibilities?  Who  ever  among  the  sons  of 
men  developed  his  powers  to  their  full  capacity 
or  became  all  he  might  have  been?  We  live  to 
feel  our  limitations  at  a  few  points  perhaps — 
every  aspiring  soul  does  that — but  what  areas  of 
undeveloped  territory,  what  latent  powers  un- 
known, lie  dormant  in  every  human  soul?  Every 
gift,  like  life  itself,  has  a  germinal  or  initial 
power  capable  of  growth.  Man  is  a  miracle  of 
potential  forces  awaiting  more  than  mere  human 
culture — awaiting  also  divine  development.  So 
mighty,  so  inconceivably  great,  are  the  possi- 
bilities of  personal  development,  especially  when 
made  the  channel  of  this  renewed  spiritual  life, 
that  the  servant  of  Jehovah,  who  would  influence 
men  for  God,  should  make  "personal  power"  the 
first  object  of  his  solicitude.      Happy  the  man 


48  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

who  is  richly  endowed.  He  stands  a  giant 
among  men.  His  initial  advantage  is  great. 
But  his  great  strength  may  become  his  weakness. 
The  lesser  man  may  well  rejoice  if  his  deficiency 
impels  him  to  intelligent  application  and  closer 
alliance  with  the  Author  and  Completer  of  per- 
sonality. Moreover,  the  less  highly  endowed 
man  ought  to  remember:  (i)  That  success  de- 
pends upon  no  single  gift.  (2)  That  different 
individuals  possess  diverse  gifts  in  varying  de- 
grees, the  possession  of  some  compensating  for 
the  lack  of  others.  (3)  That  fidelity  in  the  use  of 
few  talents  may  accomplish  more  than  a  less 
faithful  use  of  many.  (4)  That  every  talent  culti- 
vated develops  to  higher  power;  for  practice  makes 
perfect,  growth  is  the  law  of  life.  (5)  That 
different  types  of  personality  are  necessary,  and 
the  peculiarities  which  differentiate  one  from  all 
others  are  not  "accidental,"  but  rather  special, 
intended  for  special  development,  so  that  a 
unique  personality  shall  find  its  distinct  place  in 
God's  definite  work. 

It  may  be  further  observed  that  our  "educa- 
tion" is  as  peculiar  to  each  as  our  natural  endow- 
ments; no  two  are  alike  in  either  respect. 
Education  begins  in  the  cradle,  proceeds  through 
the  home,  the  schools,  and  "the  world," — expe- 
rience being  the  great  teacher.  Beyond  physical 
and  mental  development  is  the  heart-life,  and 
personal  grace  wrought  forth  by  the  refining  fires 
of  suffering  or  adversity,  and  which  finally  give 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  49 

character  its  richness,  sympathy,  and  fitness  for 
leading.  Such  alone  is  true  education,  because, 
as  distinguished  from  simple  acquisition  of 
knowledge,  education  means  developing  the 
potential  powers  of  a  person  into  actual  personal 
power.  Thus  out  of  the  crude  stuff  of  his  orig- 
inal nature  a  man  constructs  for  himself  a  char- 
acter, as  did,  for  example,  Saul  of  Tarsus.  So  far 
we  are  on  the  human  plane,  but  higher  possi- 
bilities await  us.  Man  is  capable  of  a  divine 
experience  like  this  same  Saul  whereby  he 
becomes  a  new  creature,  holding  such  a  relation 
to  God  that  he  acquires  new  power  and  new  pos- 
sibility of  power.  "If  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he 
is  a  new  creature,"  and  that  new  creation  is  but 
the  beginning  of  a  process  of  Vitalization  which 
God  has  indicated  should  be  great  because  He 
"giveth  not  the  spirit  by  measure,"  and  we  are 
encouraged  "to  grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  In 
other  words,  when  we  implied  that  natal  endow- 
ments determine  the  caliber  or  capacity  of  a  man 
we  were  but  partially  correct  because  God  is  not 
through  with  his  life.  By  the  new  birth  he  not 
only  becomes  a  new  creature  but  also  a  channel 
for  increasing  spiritual  force,  so  that  his  highest 
powers  have  not  their  limits  fixed  by  human 
weakness,  as  we  supposed,  but  they  rise  and 
blend  in  co-operation  with  illimitable  power. 
Not  what  he  can  do  is  the  limit  of  his  force,  but 
what  God  can  do  through  him.     Says  Dr.  Marcus 


50  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Dods:  "There  is  no  power  on  earth  like  the 
power  of  a  holy,  consecrated  life,  because  he  who 
is  leading  such  a  life  is  already  above  the  world 
and  belongs  to  a  higher  kingdom." 

Martyrs  and  prophets,  saints  and  sages — a 
thousand  voices — attest  that  Paul's  experience 
was  typical — not  singular — namely,  that  divine 
strength  is  made  perfect  in  human  weakness. 

As  electricity  needs  a  medium  for  transmission, 
and  by  its  presence  changes  a  dead  into  a  "live" 
wire,  so  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit  makes 
the  right  kind  of  weakness  a  channel  for  effecting 
very  miracles  of  power.  Many  of  the  world's 
great  prophets  have,  in  early  life,  been  timid, 
shrinking  men.  Were  not  Moses,  Jonah,  Jere- 
miah? Yet,  Spirit-driven,  they  have  risen  to 
exercise  surpassing  power.  What  is  the  eleventh 
chapter  of  Hebrews  but  a  paean  to  men  of  Spirit- 
filled  life  "who,  through  faith,  subdued  kingdoms, 
wrought  righteousness,"  etc.? 

Hath  not  God  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the 
world  to  confound  the  mighty?  Has  not  God 
made  apostles  and  saints,  martyrs  and  heroes  of 
men  and  women  that  the  world  would  have 
thrown  aside  as  rubbish?  Out  of  the  mouths  of 
babes  and  sucklings  has  He  not  ordained 
strength? 

Let  it  be  repeated,  personality  is  not  an  un- 
changing quantity.  Though  constant  as  com- 
pared with  its  moods,  it  is  nevertheless  variable. 
Capable  of  indefinite  development,  its  growth  is 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  51 

marked  by  change  of  cast,  flavor,  and  quality,  as 
well  as  of  power.  Know  this  also,  O  man,  that 
it  can  suffer  loss  and  diminution.  Its  sweetness 
may  be  embittered ;  its  strength  may  be  paralyzed. 
By  leaning  towards  the  divine  intention  a  man 
gains  two  advantages:  (i)  He  enables  the  same 
God  who  bestowed  peculiar  endowments,  to  per- 
fect these  to  their  appointed  ends,  and  (2)  he  pre- 
serves his  true  individuality;  and  a  new 
individuality  wrongs  itself  by  playing  the  part  of 
imitator  instead  of  developing  resident  originality. 
The  weak  imitation  of  a  great  man  is  weakness 
personified.  Be  yourself — a  great  or  lesser  original. 
But  the  study  of  personality  is  a  first-hand 
problem.  Each  must  solve  it  for  himself.  This 
I  would  impress.  Personality  can  grow.  The 
creature  who  is  crown  of  creation  is  capable  of 
greater  growth  than  anything  below  him  in  the 
scale  of  life.  Because  this  is  so,  and  because 
God  has  chosen  personality  as  His  especial  agency 
and  is  waiting  to  make  His  "ministers  a  flame  of 
fire,"  every  minister  does  himself  an  injustice 
who  does  not  prize  the  individuality  by  which  he 
is  fitted  to  take  a  unique  place  in  the  world,  and 
who  does  not  expect  mightily  to  increase  in  per- 
sonal power.  How  to  make  the  most  of  those 
potential  elements  embodied  in  every  personality 
is  a  theme  too  great  to  be  attempted  here,  but 
having  indicated  the  untold  possibilities  of  per- 
sonal power  open  to  all,  the  student  will  have  an 
incentive  to  renewed  study  of  himself. 


52  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

A  minister's  moods 
Not  only  is  a  man's  effectiveness  in  public 
prayer  conditional  upon  his  personality,  but  also 
upon  those  transient  phases  of  feeling  commonly 
known  as  moods.  If  personality  be  represented 
as  the  set  current  of  life,  its  moods  may  not 
inaptly,  yet  very  inadequately,  be  likened  to  the 
waves  which  agitate  its  surface.  The  one  is  what 
it  is  because  of  its  constancy,  the  other  because 
of  its  variableness.  On  this  account  the  former 
generally  receives  insufificient  consideration, 
while  the  latter  has  attracted  undue  attention. 
As  a  disturbing  element  in  public  address,  espe- 
cially of  that  kind  denominated  extemporaneous, 
moods  deserve  consideration.  Their  power  for 
evil  has,  I  think,  been  exaggerated,  yet  nothing 
is  to  be  gained  by  ignoring  or  denymg  the  range 
of  their  influence.  If  we  would  do  justice  to  our 
theme  we  must  recognize  that  the  greater  the 
man,  the  more  multiplied  his  endowments,  the 
greater  will  be  the  possible  range  of  his  feelings. 
The  great  man  is  an  instrument  of  many  strings, 
the  lesser  man  of  few.  One  is  exposed  to  suffer- 
ing at  more  points  than  the  other;  and  while  this 
apparent  disadvantage  is  usually  compensated  for 
in  normal  manhood  by  the  increase  of  self-con- 
trol and  superior  power  accompanying  unusual 
endowments,  yet  an  Augustine,  or  Whitefield,  a 
Wesley  or  Guthrie,  may  suffer  depressions  un- 
known to  little  men;  but  sometimes  through 
these,  and  even  by  the  fact  of  their  occurrence  a 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  53 

new  glimpse  of  the  man's  power  is  gained.  It 
were  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  even  disturbing 
moods  are  an  unmitigated  evil.  In  two  ways 
they  may  be  beneficial:  (i)  They  are  the  means 
of  introducing  unconscious  variety  into  our  minis- 
trations. Yesterday's  prayer  was  full  of  light  and 
thanksgiving;  to-day's  prayer  is  an  echo  of  last 
night's  struggle,  and  its  cry  of  pain  will  voice  the 
sentiment  of  some  portion  of  the  congregation. 
As  our  feelings  rise  and  fall  they  bring  us  within 
range  of  different  classes  who  would  never  be 
reached  at  all  if  the  minister  lived  always  above 
sky-line.  (2)  These  "unfortunate"  depressions 
are  the  necessary  preparation  for  the  birth  of  that 
sympathy  by  which  one  human  being  can  enter 
into  the  experience  of  another.  Being  touched 
with  the  infirmities  of  others  we  are  fitted  for 
bearing  one  another's  burdens,  and  so  fulfilling 
the  law  of  Christ. 

Nevertheless  moods  are  a  recognized  source  of 
disturbance,  and  their  causes  are  legion.  Does 
not  a  preacher's  health  or  indisposition,  weariness 
or  rest,  peace  or  perplexity,  sorrow  or  joy, 
indeed  every  phase  of  experience  he  undergoes, 
bring  some  influence  to  bear,  helpful  or  otherwise, 
upon  his  public  office?  Even  when  a  man  of  un- 
common endowments  stands  at  the  altar,  does  he 
not  often  fall  far  below  his  wonted  power,  and  is 
not  this  perfectly  natural?  The  practical  question 
is,  How  can  we  defend  ourselves  from  the  occur- 
rence of  baneful  moods?     Or  occurring,  how  con- 


54  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

quer  them?     Or  if  not  wholly  subdue,  yet  turn 
them  to  some  kind  of  advantage? 

Without  minutely  discussing  physiological, 
psychological,  and  spiritual  causes  it  is  still  neces- 
sary to  indicate  that  because  he  possesses  a  three- 
fold life  a  man  is  liable  to  suffer  from  disturbing 
physical  conditions,  depressing  mental  states,  and 
untoward  spiritual  experiences.  Moreover,  the 
close  association  and  interdependence  of  physical, 
mental  and  spiritual  conditions  must  receive  due 
recognition.  Thus  will  it  be  seen  why  care  of 
the  body  and  habits  of  mental  discipline  enable 
us  to  foster  those  spiritual  conditions  which  make 
for  power,  and  light,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Many  damaging  moods  are  due  wholly  to  phys- 
ical causes.  Against  these  there  is  a  large 
measure  of  protection.  Regular  habits  for  labor 
and  rest,  diet  and  sleep,  will  afford  deliverance 
from  some  of  them,  while  at  the  same  time  foster- 
ing strength  to  meet  unavoidable  shocks.  Of  all 
persons  he  who  gives  himself  to  the  service  of 
Christ  should  guard  that  tabernacle  so  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  made.  "What,  know  ye  not 
that  your  body  is  a  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  is  in  you?"  (i  Cor.  6:  19).  Observe  the 
penalty  attached  to  neglect  and  injury  of  the 
body :  "If  any  man  destroyeth  the  temple  of  God, 
him  shall  God  destroy,  for  the  temple  of  God  is 
holy,  which  temple  ye  are"  (i  Cor.  3:  17). 
Neglect  of  the  body  is  sin.  Multitudes  are  cul- 
pable; in  deed,  in  dress,  in  work.     In  some  cases 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  55 

the  student  kills  the  man  and  a  crime  is  perpe- 
trated. 

Against  moods  arising  from  men*,  perplexity- 
there  is  much  less  defence,  because  s^  frequently 
due  to  events  beyond  our  control — bereavements, 
losses,  disappointments.  But,  again,  obedience 
is  the  key  to  mastery.  Mental  laws  can  be 
violated  only  under  penalty,  and  so  great  is  the 
peril  that  we  recommend  every  student  to  devote 
some  attention  to  the  study  of  psychology.  Two 
practical  suggestions  are  offered.  It  will  be 
found  that  an  experience  which,  viewed  by  itself, 
may  cause  depression,  loses  much  of  its  force, 
when  brought  into  relation  to  other  truths  and 
made  part  of  a  more  comprehensive  view.  This, 
indeed,  is  precisely  what  "experience"  enables 
people  to  do.  Because  of  his  relation  to  his  flock 
a  pastor's  service  should  be  a  ministry  of  sym- 
pathy. Accordingly  he  should  cultivate  such 
sympathy  by  reviewing  his  parish  and  dwelling 
upon  the  woes,  and  wants,  the  sins  and  sorrows 
of  his  people,  as  well  as  upon  those  greater  issues 
which  affect  communities  and  nations.  In  this 
way  he  takes  on  the  feelings  of  others  and  gains 
a  peculiar  fitness  for  presenting  their  claims  at  the 
throne  of  grace.  This  touch  with  the  living 
needs  of  others  profoundly  modifies  his  personal 
moods.  Self  is  lost  sight  of  in  the  larger  issues 
pressing  at  the  gates  of  Heaven.  This  kind  of 
preparation  makes  a  man  representative  in  feel- 
ings, as  well  as  in  thought,  of  the  constituency 


56  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

he    represents,    a    condition     which    cannot    be 
simulated. 

"Thou  must  be  true  to  thyself,  if  thou  the  truth  would'st 
teach, 
Thy  heart  must  overflow,  if  thou  another  heart  would'st 

reach, 
It  needs  the  overflowing  heart  to  give  the  lips  full  speech." 

Another  class  of  moods  arises  from  disturbing 
spiritual  causes — temptations,  unfaithfulness,  sin. 
And  spiritual  paralysis  is  the  most  damaging  of 
all  the  enfeeblements  that  cripple  the  exercise  of 
prayer. 

But  for  the  conquest  of  unhelpful  moods,  what- 
ever may  be  their  cause,  only  one  power  can  be 
supreme,  and  that  is  spiritual.  Physical  and 
even  mental  distress  may  be  made  the  very  point 
of  display  for  spiritual  power,  whereas  no  com- 
pensating qualities  are  found  to  take  the  place  of 
spiritual  famishment  and  coldness.  If  a  man 
would  avoid  morbid  moods  and  prove  helpful  in 
his  ministrations  of  holy  things,  his  own  life  must 
be  constantly  refreshed  from  the  hidden  springs. 
The  final  key  to  the  conquest  of  untoward  condi- 
tions is  communion  with  God.  Prayer  itself  is 
the  best  preparation  for  prayer.  He  who  is  in 
the  Spirit  on  the  Lord's  Day  is  prepared  by  his 
own  inspiration  to  inspire  others.  The  best 
means  to  attain  this  condition  is  undoubtedly 
contemplation  and  prayer  in  the  closet  imme- 
diately before  undertaking  the  public  service. 
He  who  descends  to  the  pulpit  from  the  Mount 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  57 

will  have  upon  him  something  of  the  Shekinah 
glow  which  will  reveal  that  he  has  been  with 
God.  Moses'  physical  hunger  prevented  not  its 
shining,  nor  did  Stephen's  mortal  pangs  in 
death.  Spiritual  power  alone  being  superior 
to  all  human  conditions,  subjective  prepara- 
tion, passing  all  other  care,  is  at  its  best  in 
self-examination  and  private  communion  with 
God. 

One  other  point  before  closing  this  section.  We 
are  told  that  individuality  should  be  excluded 
from  the  service,  and  that  extemporaneous  prayer 
suffers  from  the  moods  and  peculiarities  of  the 
leader.  We  reply,  individuality  camwt  be  ex- 
cluded from  service.  Whether  extemporaneous 
or  liturgical,  it  is  there.  To  quote  Van  Ooster- 
zee,  "Even  the  best  precepts  with  regard  to 
liturgical  matters  and  liturgical  actions  run  the 
risk  of  failing  in  their  object  unless  powerfully 
supported  by  the  liturgical  personality,  ...  In 
the  words  of  Goethe,  'Say  what  one  will,  every- 
thing turns  in  the  long  run  upon  the  person.' 
The  liturgist,  too,  must  be  not  merely  a  some- 
thing, but  also  a  some  one;  no  speaking  trumpet 
merely  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  His  inspired 
mouthpiece  and  living  organ"  {Practical  The- 
ology, p.  443). 

The  personality  behind  the  message  makes  a 
world  of  difference  to  the  service.  "One  prays 
and  thanks,  consecrates  and  blesses  in  a  wholly 
different  manner  from  another,  and  he  is  free  to 


58  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

do  so,  inasmuch  as  he  is  really  a  different  man 
from  his  more  highly  or  less  highly  endowed 
brother." 

So  far  as  moods  are  concerned,  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  they  do  affect  free,  more  than 
liturgical,  services.  But  that  fact  emphasizes  the 
truth  that  the  former  is  the  better  channel  for 
personal  power.  The  more  room  for  morbid 
moods  to  make  their  influence  felt,  the  more 
room  is  there  also  for  all  the  excellences  of  per- 
sonal power  to  find  play.  If  all,  or  even  the 
majority,  of  men  entrusted  with  the  divine  mes- 
sage were  inferior  men,  possibly  a  form  would 
tide  them  over  as  crutches  do  cripples.  But  God 
has  ever  chosen  for  His  prophets  men  of  power. 
What  is  wanted  in  public  prayer  is  consecrated 
ability — the  highest  attainable,  prepared  for  the 
office  as  fully  as  possible;  and  then  with  freedom 
unlimited  to  influence  men  for  God.  It  is  a 
prophet's  mission;  it  needs  a  prophet's  mantle. 
And  would  it  not  seem  superfluous  to  add,  so 
high  a  function  needs  preparation? 

B.  Objective  preparation  falls  into  two 
branches:  (i)  General;  (2)  Special. 

Reversing  the  logical  order,  we  will  dispose 
first  of  the  minor  subject  that  our  after  course 
may  be  uninterrupted. 

Special  preparation:  Special  preparation  is 
necessary  for  each  occasion.  We  who  would 
represent  aright  the  interests  of  a  constituency  so 
wide  and  so  diversified  as  those  of  a  congregation 


PREPARATION  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER  59 

require  intelligent  acquaintance  with  their  ex- 
perience; therefore  thoughtful  consideration  of 
the  special  condition  and  needs  of  his  people 
constitutes  part  of  a  leader's  preparation  for  pub- 
lic prayer.  In  this  respect  the  faithful  pastor  is 
a  better  advocate  at  the  throne  than  his  more 
gifted  brother,  who  is  not  acquainted  with  the 
personal  joys  and  sorrows  and  ambitions  of  his 
fellow  worshippers. 

The  events  of  the  week  usually  produce 
changes  in  the  homes  of  the  people  and  the  lives 
of  individuals  which  should  give  direction  to  the 
Sabbath  prayer,  and  sometimes  even  lend  to  it  a 
unique  character.  Less  frequently  national  or 
international  matters  of  special  moment  press  for 
appropriate  mention  at  the  throne.  Of  necessity, 
too,  the  purpose  of  a  meeting  should  to  some 
extent  govern  the  cast  of  the  prayer,  as  e.  g.,  at 
a  missionary  meeting,  the  prayers  should  induce 
all  to  realize  their  own  wealth  of  blessing,  and 
the  great  spiritual  poverty  of  unevangelized 
peoples;  thus  impressing  them  with  such  a  sense 
of  responsibility  as  would  awaken  sympathy  and 
greater  generosity. 

In  a  similar  way,  thanksgiving,  temperance, 
education,  Sabbath  observance,  etc.,  should 
receive  such  special  consideration  that  our  prayers 
shall  be  appropriate  and  profitable. 

To  this  end,  therefore,  there  should  be  such 
special  preparation  for  every  service  as  shall 
reveal  personal  interest  in  and  thoughtful  remem- 


6o  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

brance  of  the  peculiar  necessities  of  our  people. 
See  also  Architecture  of  Prayer,  p.  114. 

General  preparation:  General  preparation 
refers  to  that  training  for  public  prayer  which 
every  theological^  student  should  receive  in  col- 
lege. It  is  deemed  necessary  to  teach  him  gram- 
mar, logic,  elocution,  etc.,  and  rightly  enough  he 
devotes  two  or  three  sessions  to  the  study  of 
homiletics.  Similarly  there  are  principles 
underlying  effective  prayer  which  every  man  who 
assumes  ministerial  responsibility  owes  to  him- 
self, to  his  congregation,  and  to  Him  whom  he 
should  worship  aright,  to  make  as  thorough  a 
mastery  of  as  possible.  Some  one  has  said,  and 
said  truly:  "This  is  the  day  for  young  men  and 
especially  for  young  preachers.  The  young 
lawyer  must  prove  his  ability  before  he  is  trusted, 
the  young  preacher  must  disprove  his  before  he 
is  not  trusted."  But  if  responsibility  must  fall 
early  upon  our  "preachers,"  is  it  not  imperative 
that  all  provision  shall  be  made  for  their  equip- 
ment that  they  may  be  thoroughly  furnished  unto 
service?  It  is  to  this  branch  of  the  serious  busi- 
ness of  preparation  that  we  now  turn,  and  which 
constitutes  the  chief  burden  of  the  chapters 
immediately  following.  As  the  needle  to  the 
pole,  may  our  hearts  be  kept  true;  and  our  spiri- 
tual vision  undimmed;  that  the  progress  of  our 
study  maybe  tributary  and  auxiliary  to  our  souls' 
pure  intercourse  with  God. 


CHAPTER  VII 

PRINCIPLES    OR    CONDITIONS     OF    EFFECTIVE 
PRAYER 

Since  it  is  important  for  the  student  to  realize 
fully  what  is  meant  by  ''principles  of  prayer"  we 
can  afford  to  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  that  term. 
Vast  is  the  difference  between  availing  and  un- 
availing prayer.  But  all  the  difference  between 
success  and  failure  depends  upon  observance  or 
neglect  of  certain  divinely  revealed  conditions 
of  prayer.  By  principles  of  prayer  therefore 
we  mean  those  fundamental  conditions  which, 
observed,  make  prayer  effectual ;  but  disregarded 
render  it  unaviling.  Holy  Scripture  puts  the 
case  briefly  and  strongly.  ''Ye  ask  and  receive 
not  because  ye  ask  amiss"  (J as.  4-3).  There 
is  a  right  way  of  asking  which  is  never  failing. 
There  are  wrong  ways  of  asking  which  must 
always  fail.  The  conditions  or  principles  which 
govern  true  prayer  fall  naturally  into  two  broad 
classes  according  as  they  represent. 

A.  On  the  one  hand,  the  vital  spiritual  rela- 
tions existing  between  God  and  the  worshipper ;  or 

B.  On  the  other  hand,  those  qualities  of 
prayer  by  which  a  leader  is  able  to  influence  the 
worship  of  his  hearers.  The  former  are  essential 
and  spiritual;  they  make  prayer  what  it  is,  and 

61 


62  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

govern  all  prayer,  secret  or  public.  The  latter 
are  secondary  in  rank  (if  it  be  safe  to  say  so)  as 
referring  to  the  form,  expression  and  practice  of 
prayer  in  public  worship. 

A.     PRIMARY   OR    ESSENTIAL    CONDITIONS   OF    PRAYER 

What,  then,  are  the  essential  principles  of 
prayer?  It  may  make  our  response  to  this  in- 
quiry more  intelligible  if  we  remark  that  what- 
ever maybe  the  inherent  characteristics  of  prayer 
which  fit  it  for  the  purpose  it  is  divinely  intended 
to  serve,  these  will  be  what  they  are,  because  (a) 
God  is  what  He  is;  and  (b)  man  is  what  he  is. 
In  other  words,  the  nature  of  communion  will  de- 
pend upon  the  character  and  relation  of  those  who 
commune. 

And,  further,  since  prayer  involves  two  parties — 
God  and  the  petitioner — there  will  be  a  divine  as 
well  as  a  human  side  to  worship.  The  conditions 
will  face  both  ways,  towards  God  and  towards 
man.  Accordingly  a  skeleton  statement  of  the 
conditions  of  effectual  prayer  may  be  thus  formu- 
lated.    The  worshipper  must  recognize: 

a.  On  the  divine  side:  (i)  The  Sovereignty  of 
God;  (2)  He  must  approach  in  the  name  of 
Christ;  (3)  under  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

b.  On  the  human  side,  availing  prayer  de- 
pends upon:  (i)  Man's  condition  or  state  of 
heart;  (2)  the  matter  of  his  prayer. 

a.  On  the  divine  side:  (i)  The  Sovereignty  of 
God: 

The  one  principle  out-ranking  all  others — first 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  63 

and  supreme— which  governs  prayer  is  God's 
purpose.  The  petitioner  is  placed  by  the  nature 
of  the  case  where  he  must  recognize  the  sover- 
eignty of  God.  Every  prayer  must  conform  to 
the  Divine  Will.  We  are  living  in  God's  universe 
and  are  part  of  it.  His  we  are  by  right  of 
creation,  preservation  and  redemption;  placed 
here  not  to  interrupt  His  plans,  but  by  co-opera- 
tion with  Him  to  accomplish  His  purpose.  In 
proportion  to  our  fidelity  we  reflect  His  glory, 
but  detract  therefrom  by  negligence,  disobe- 
dience, and  insubordination.  He  is  sovereign 
— man  is  subject.  Omnipotent,  omniscient  and 
all-loving,  God's  absolute  perfection  ensures 
man's  welfare.  "Like  as  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear  him, 
for  he  knoweth  our  frame,  he  remembereth 
that  we  are  dust."  Created  in  the  divine  image 
(Gen.  1:27);  a  little  lower  than  Elohim  (Ps.  8:  5); 
and  entrusted  with  dominion  over  nature  (Gen. 
i:  28) ;  man  is  nevertheless  the  child  of  his  Father, 
and  is  taught  to  pray.  Now  prayer  implies 
subordination  and  submission.  Embodied  in  the 
very  nature  of  the  thing  itself  is  the  principle  we 
have  pronounced  paramount.  A  petition  is  de  , 
facto  recognition  of  superiority.  Inferiors  we  '/ 
command;  superiors  we  obey.  Prayer,  there- 
fore, is  not  dictation,  is  not  advice, — but  the 
request  a  child  makes  of  its  parent,  trusting 
superior  wisdom,  reposing  in  undoubted  love,  and 
desiring  success  in  no  particular  petition  which 


64  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

may  be  inconsistent  with  general  and  permanent 
welfare. 

Declaring  God's  sovereignty,  therefore,  the 
Scriptures  are  careful  also  to  reveal  the  Divine 
Character  —  those  attributes  which  make  sov- 
ereignty beneficent. 

"God  is  Love."  He  is,  "Our  Father  which  art 
in  Heaven."  His  purpose  is  immutable  and 
benevolent  because  He  is  eternal  and  benignant. 
"The  counsel  of  the  Lord  standeth  forever"  (Ps. 
33:  11).  "I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not"  (Mai. 
3:6).  The  universe  and  its  events  are  not  for- 
tuitous but  "predestinated  according  to  the  pur- 
pose of  him  who  worketh  all  things  after  the 
counsel  of  his  own  will"  (Eph.  i:  11)  and  "accord- 
ing to  the  eternal  purpose"  (Eph.  3:  11). 

Eternal  decrees  would  be  truly  frightful  if  not 
dictated  by  omniscience  and  eternal  love. 

"But,"  it  maybe  asked,  "is  not  man's  sin  an 
interruption?"  Undoubtedly!  but  not  an  unfore- 
seen rebellion  capable  of  establishing  lasting 
anarchy  and  dethroning  Deity.  God  still  rules, 
and  not  only  rules  but  overrules,  for  even  "the 
wrath  of  man  shall  praise  Him."  Also,  He  uses 
the  adversary  as  an  unwitting  agent  to  further 
His  designs. 

Sin  has  undeniably  been  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing a  new  element  into  prayer,  but  is  not  the 
original  occasion  of  its  inception.  All  worship 
is  communion  expressive  of  the  sense  of  the 
divine   supremacy  in   His   own    universe.      That 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  65 

prayer  which  teaches  to  pray  makes  this  very 
plain.  Jesus  taught  His  disciples  after  approach- 
ing God  with  adoration  as  "Our  Father  which  art 
in  Heaven,"  to  pray  first,  "thy  kingdom  come." 
Why?  Because  that  is  God's  great  purpose 
among  men.  Heaven's  business,  to  use  the  term 
with  reverence,  is  to  effect  this  one  end,  and  men 
are  not  only  invited  but  expected  to  become  co- 
workers with  God  for  the  establishment  of  that 
Kingdom.  But  how  is  it  to  be  established?  The 
next  petition  indicates  the  means.  "Thy  will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  Heaven."  The  divine 
purpose  is  effected  by  the  Divine  Will.  If  there- 
fore man  would  acceptably  approach  the  Father, 
he  must  recognize  the  nature  and  the  will  of  God. 

In  other  words,  the  conditions  of  effectual 
prayer  are  divinely  fixed,  and  the  first  demand 
made  of  the  worshipper  is  that  he  shall  humbly 
pray  in  accordance  therewith,  and  where,  as  is 
frequently  the  case,  he  is  unaware  of  God's  will, 
not  to  press  his  own  preference  peremptorily. 
To  venture  upon  self-assertion  is  not  only  to  meet 
failure  and  leanness,  but  is  violation  of  the  first 
essential  of  worship,  viz.,  recognition  of  the 
Father's  will  and  wisdom. 

"Go  to  now,  ye  that  say,  to-day  or  to-morrow 
we  will  go  into  such  a  city  and  continue  there  a 
year  and  buy  and  sell  and  get  gain;  whereas  ye 
know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow.  For 
what  is  your  life?  It  is  even  a  vapor  that  appear- 
eth  for  a    little  time  and  then   vanisheth   away. 


66  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

For  that  ye  ought  to  say,  If  the  Lord  will,  we 
shall  live,  and  do  this  or  that"  (Jas.  4:  13-15). 

On  God's  part,  therefore,  before  man  comes  in 
prayer  at  all,  the  principle  which  imposes  divine 
limits  to  effectual  prayer  is  laid  down.  All  too 
frequently  the  truth  we  are  endeavoring  to  make 
prominent  is  so  far  neglected  that  men  pray  as 
though  success  at  Heaven's  Court  depended  in 
chief  w'^ow  a  petitioner's  persistence  and  self-willed 
resolve  to  urge  his  own  preference. 

Oh,  what  wild  praying  results  from  this  crude 
misconception!  Oh,  how  often  the  holy  office 
has  been  abused  before  men  and  angels  by  incon- 
siderate petition  and  unblushing  advice!  Is  it  a 
wonder  thoughtful  men  marvel  at  what  seems  to 
be,  and  truly  is,  irreverent,  or  perchance  im- 
pertinent, even  to  the  verge  of  impiety?  If 
printed  prayers  were  entirely  free  from  this  blem- 
ish their  adoption  in  preference  to  extempora- 
neous prayer  might  be  more  strongly  advocated; 
but  they  are  not. 

If,  however,  limits  are  eternally  imposed  on 
our  petitions,  is  not  prayer  made  the  poorer 
thereby?  Not  so.  "If  ye  being  evil  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much 
more  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  him?"  Granting 
the  good,  shall  He  not  also  refuse  the  unwhole- 
some, and  reject  both  the  improper  and  the  unjust? 

"The  Power  above  who  makes  mankind  His  care, 
May  bless  us  most  when  He  rejects  our  prayer." 


PRINCIPLES  OP  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  67 

Human  ignorance  exceeds  human  folly.  Both 
trespass  on  our  best  intentions;  and  it  is  not  un- 
charitable to  say  that  even  man's  meanness  creeps 
into  his  prayer.  Myself  bulks  larger  than  my 
neighbor  at  the  throne.  My  own  outweighs  the 
general  weal.  Self  is  too  much  in  evidence  for 
either  my  own  or  my  neighbor's  good,  or  for 
God's  glory.  These  are  not  different  things,  but 
the  play  of  thought  upon  them  confirms  the  con- 
viction that  man  must  trust  God  for  more  than  an 
"answer"  to  his  prayer;  he  must  trust  as  fully  and 
gratefully  for  the  rejection  of  his  unworthy  and 
biased  requests. 

Everybody  will  not  be  able  to  acquiesce  in 
Emerson's  pronouncement — "Prayer  that  craves 
a  particular  commodity,  anything  less  than  all 
good,  is  vicious' ' ;  when,  however,  he  adds,  "Prayer 
as  a  means  to  effect  a  private  end  is  theft  and 
meanness,"  everybody  can  see  that  what  he  con- 
demns is  illegitimate  and  selfish  prayer.  But 
surely  there  are  ten  thousand  private  ends  that 
will  help  to  grace  my  immortal  life! 

A  little  reflection  on  the  character  of  God  and 
the  nature  of  worship  may  put  windows  in  our 
wisdom  and  new  charity  in  our  petitions;  but  as 
long  as  the  pilgrimage  continues  man  must  guard 
against  a  possible  unconscious  element  of  distor- 
tion in  his  approach  to  the  Almighty,  and  feel 
ever  grateful  that  all  that  is  good  for  the  indi- 
vidual may  be  granted  without  infringement  of 
another's    rights,    since    in    a    divinely   ordered 


68  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

economy  what  is  best  for  the  whole  community  is 
best  in  the  fullest  sense  for  the  individual.  In 
prayer  selfishness  is  not  necessary;  from  prayer 
selfishness  is  excluded.  No  man  can  get  the 
start  of  his  fellow  at  the  court  that  dispenses  jus- 
tice for  all.  Besides,  the  motive  which  impels  to 
such  a  desire  precludes  its  own  effect,  for  God 
knoweth  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  the 
heart. 

As  between  man  and  man  no  encroachments 
are  possible  at  the  divine  throne.  Let  us  feel 
grateful  that  limits  are  fixed  which  preclude 
man's  interference  with  God's  justice;  He  will 
shelter  men  from  the  evil  effects  of  their  own  ill- 
advised  prayers  as  well  as  from  the  imprecations 
of  their  enemies.  Divine  limitations  narrow  the 
area  of  prayer  only  to  preserve  its  quality  and 
deepen  its  benefits.  God's  sovereignty  is  man's 
safety.  Man's  welfare  is  widest  where  His  will  is 
unopposed.  "Thy  will  be  done"  if  properly 
understood,  can  only  be  prayed,  however,  by  a 
wholly  consecrated  believer.  Not  every  man, 
not  every  believer,  realizes  the  significance  of  the 
expression.  He  alone  can  know  it,  who  has 
passed  through  his  Gethsemane  and  come  forth 
ready,  unreservedly,  to  do  and  to  suffer  the 
Divine  Will — even  though  that,  as  in  the  case  of 
his  Master,  leads  to  crucifixion. 

Gethsemane  and  Calvary  taken  together  inter- 
pret the  significance  of  "Thy  will  be  done," — not 
mine  own  will  or  feelings  would  I  consult;   but  I 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  69 

crave  such  joy  and  brightness,  or  such  pain  and 
darkness,  toil  and  discipline  as  shall  best  fit  me 
to  fulfill  Thy  purpose. 

Let  it  be  observed  that  to  pray  with  this  inten- 
tion is  quite  a  different  thing  from  merely  sub- 
mitting to  discipline.  It  is  a  glad  acquiescence 
which  cries  with  the  Psalmist,  "I  delight  to  do  thy 
will,  O  my  God;  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart" 
(Ps.  40:8);  or  with  Pauline  heroism  exclaims, 
"Most  gladly  therefore  will  I  rather  glory  in  my 
infirmities  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest 
upon  me.  Therefore  I  take  pleasure  in  infirmi- 
ties, in  reproaches,  in  necessities,  in  distresses, 
in  persecutions,  for  Christ's  sake,  for  when  I  am 
weak,  then  am  I  strong"   (2  Cor.  12:9  and  10). 

Such  prayer  is  the  renunciation  of  self-will 
(wilfullness)  that  true  self-hood  may  be  divinely 
developed  within  us. 

THE    NAME    OF    CHRIST    IN    PRAYER 

How  much  Jesus  has  helped  believers  in  their 
communion  with  God  is  something  we  are  not 
very  well  able  to  appreciate.  Before  He  came, 
God  was  variously  conceived,  but  among  the 
Hebrews  He  was  commonly  regarded  as  King  and 
Judge.  By  altering  our  conception  of  the 
Almighty,  Jesus  has  transformed  our  attitude  to 
Him.  Having  shown  us  that  God  is  our  Father, 
all  prayer  becomes  changed;  having  in  it  new 
elements  of  confidence  and  tenderness.  God 
still  remains  King  and  Judge,  but  we  are  His  chil- 
dren   and    He    loves    us.       He    is    still    august, 


70  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

majestic,    omnipotent,     but    distance   sinks    into 
nearness  and  fear  is  lost  in  affection. 

Hitherto,  also,  men  had  more  or  less  imper- 
fectly groped  their  way  to  God  through  symbol 
and  sacrifice, — feeling  that  their  nearest  touch  to 
Deity  was  found  in  a  dying  sacrifice  at  a  smoking 
altar.  But  now  the  veil  is  rent  and  direct 
spiritual  intercourse  instituted. 

When,  therefore,  men  object  to  "asking  in  any 
other  person's  name,"  and  argue  that  Enoch  and 
Noah,  Abraham  and  Moses  prayed  directly  to 
God,  and  that  "prayer  is  now  made  poorer  if  we 
have  to  come  to  our  Father  indirectly  through  a 
mediator,"  the  whole  beauty  of  our  Saviour's 
place  and  aid  in  the  economy  of  prayer  is  mis- 
understood and  misrepresented.  For  through 
Christ  the  world  has  discovered  its  kinship  to 
God.  By  the  way  in  which  God  has  made  Him- 
self known  to  man,  man  can  best  come  to  God. 
Between  the  Infinite  and  the  finite  Christ  is  the 
"door"  in  both  directions.  In  this  there  is  noth- 
ing arbitrary  or  peculiar.  There  must  be  a 
psychology  as  well  as  a  theology  of  worship.  In 
order  to  intelligent  prayer,  where  one  can  worship 
"with  the  spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also" 
the  creature  must  in  some  sense  partake  of  the 
nature  of  the  Creator.  The  necessity  of  the  case 
is  inherent.  This  truth  constitutes  the  basis  of 
Paul's  argument  in  Cor.  2:  10-16,  which  he  drives 
so  much  further.  Affinity  with  God  enables  man 
to  understand   God.      Our  oneness  of  nature  is 


PRINCIPLES  OP  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  71 

close  enough  to  make  communion  possible,  but 
our  difference  of  nature  is  so  great  that  assistance 
is  needed  to  make  communion  intelligible  and 
helpful.  Accordingly  there  is  "one  mediator 
between  God  and  man,  Himself  man,  Christ 
Jesus."  Between  man  and  God  stands  the  God- 
man,  and  "through  Him"  we  "have  access  by 
one  Spirit  unto  the  Father."  If  man's  nature 
were  wholly  spiritual  this  would  not  have  been 
necessary,  but  now  it  accords  with  the  nature  of 
things,  that  Christ,  the  Incarnation  of  God,  who 
revealed  the  Father  to  man  in  terms  of  man's 
own  language  and  experience,  should  be  our  Ad- 
vocate. Pre-eminently  is  He  qualified  for  the 
office;  Son  of  God,  He  is  also  Son  of  Man. 
"Tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are"  our  High 
Priest  can  be  "touched  with  a  feeling  of  our  in- 
firmities," and  the  argument  continues,  "Let  us 
therefore  come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and  find  grace  to  help 
in  time  of  need"  (Heb.  4:  15,  16). 

This  brings  us  to  our  next  step.  Much  has 
already  been  done,  but  further,  "He  ever  liveth  to 
make  intercession  for  us."  Herein  we  are  made 
aware  that  we  have  present  and  living  help  in  our 
approach  to  God.  The  implication  of  course  is 
not  that  some  unwillingness  or  reserve  on  the 
Father's  part  has  to  be  overcome  by  the  pleading 
of  the  Son.  This  would  misrepresent  the  Father 
who  so  loved  us  as  to  give  the  Son  for  our  re- 
demption,    and    appointed    Him    to   that    office 


72  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

whereby  He  has  displaced  all  symbolism,  insti- 
tuting for  us  direct  spiritual  communion  —  the 
new  inheritance  of  the  Christian  age.  Once  in- 
deed the  term  "advocate"  is  used  of  this  office 
(i  John  2:  i),  but  the  Greek  is  "Paraclete,"  the 
same  word  used  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  John  14, 
and  there  translated  "Comforter."  Literally  it 
signifies  one  who  "stands  by"  to  help  us.  Not 
only  is  the  same  term  TrapdKkqTo<i  used  of  Christ 
and  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  but  Jesus  identifies  Him- 
self with  the  Spirit  in  this  living  service;  on  one 
hand  the  Spirit — as  the  abiding  "other  com- 
forter"— is  to  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
show  them  unto  us;  on  the  other,  Jesus  says, 
"Lo!  /am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 
the  world." 

By  yet  further  counsel,  however,  Jesus  helps 
our  praying.  For  in  addition  to  ease  and  confi- 
dence of  approach.  He  graciously  reveals  the  key 
to  successful  appeal.  "Hitherto  ye  have  asked 
nothing  in  my  name,"  but  now  "whatsoever  ye 
shall  ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it 
you."  "If  ye  shall  ask  anything  in  my  name,  I 
will  do  it,"  etc.  But  what  precisely  does  it 
mean  to  pray  in  the  all-availing  name?  Well! 
first,  it  is  not  a  matter  of  words.  Nothing  divine 
is  a  matter  of  phrases.  Its  significance  is  spiri- 
tual; something  real  is  implied.  The  phrase  "in 
His  name,"  or  "for  Christ's  sake,"  appended  to 
a  petition  cannot  convert  an  unholy  into  a  worthy 
desire,  or  a  selfish  into  a  Christ-like  longing.     To 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  73 

attach  the  expression  "for  Christ's  sake"  to  a 
selfish  request  is  a  contradiction  in  terms.  Nay, 
more,  it  is  sacrilege.  A  hypocrite  might  use  the 
phrase,  but  venturing  to  do  so  only  darkens  the 
stain  of  his  sin.  This  is  no  cheap  "sesame"  to 
open  doors  for  all;  no  mere  password  that  can  be 
spoken  by  the  enemy.  It  is  a  key  to  the  true 
motive  of  prayer.  Our  prayer  regulations  read, 
"If  ye  abide  in  me  and  my  words  abide  in  you, 
ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you."  In  other  words,  according  to  the 
economy  of  prayer,  petitions  to  be  availing  must 
first  have  the  sanction  of  Christ  for  only  such 
prayers  as  He  can  endorse  may  pass  current  to 
Heaven.  With  endorsement,  recognition;  with- 
out it — failure.  No,  not  failure,  rather  the  best 
success;  for  a  petition  unworthy  of  Christ's  en- 
dorsement were  better  rejected.  Only  a  spirit  of 
light  can  soar  so  high  as  Heaven.  Prayers  with 
unclean  spirits,  like  men  with  unclean  souls,  can- 
not pass  thither  without  cleansing.  All  slant  and 
bias,  all  stained  and  shadowed  wishes  are  de- 
barred. That  fact  guarantees  the  petitioner's 
safety.  Grasp  firmly  this  truth;  there  is  nothing 
artificial  in  making  successful  appeal  conditional 
on  approach  through  Christ.  Any  prayer  offered 
in  the  same  spirit  in  which  the  Master  prayed  is 
truly  in  His  name,  whether  the  verbal  passport 
be  used  or  not.  If  my  desire  is  as  His  desire,  it 
is  worthy;  that  is  the  heart  of  the  matter;  if  it  be 
not,  then  the  phrase  is  inapplicable,  and  neither 


74  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

the  "desire"  nor  the  "phrase"  should  find  ex- 
pression; the  wish  is  not  holy,  it  should  be  sup- 
pressed. If  your  motive  is  Christ-like,  your 
purpose  worthy,  your  desire  right,  then  alone  is 
it  verily  presented  "for  His  sake,"  or  in  His 
name.  So  that  we  may  say  that  to  pray  in  His 
name  is  equivalent  to  "as  He  desires  us  to  pray," 
or  as  Jesus  would  pray  were  He  in  our  place. 

This  is  the  sentiment  Andrew  Murray  quotes 
from  Jukes:  "  'Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,*  that  is,  'in  my  nature,'  we  ask  in  Christ's 
name,  not  when  at  the  end  of  some  request  we 
say,  'This,  I  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,'  but 
when  we  pray  according  to  His  nature,  which  is 
love  which  seeketh  not  His  own,  but  only  the  will 
of  God  and  the  good  of  all  creatures.  Such  ask- 
ing is  the  cry  of  His  own  Spirit  in  our  hearts." 

"Christ,"  says  W.  L.  Walker,  "in  so  far  as  His 
Spirit  dwells  in  us,  places  us  in  His  own  relation 
of  Sonship  towards  the  Father.  This  is  prayer 
'in  His  name,' — 'I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me.*  " 

Not  the  words  but  the  spirit  of  prayer  makes  it 
availing  or  renders  it  "asking  amiss.'*  He  who 
entreats  the  Father  as  the  Son  has  instructed  us, 
both  by  precept  and  recorded  example,  can  never 
fail  in  his  request,  because  the  heart  of  his  desire 
is  God's  glory,  the  sole  purpose  of  the  worshipper 
to  attain  the  Will  Divine.  In  true  prayer  man 
identifies  his  own  good  with  God's  will,  as  God 
has  identified  human  good  with  the  divine  pur- 
pose.    Both  Deity  and  petitioner  are  then  seeking 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  75 

the  coming  of  the  Kingdom  among  men.  As  a 
practical  fact,  every  Christian  can  test  the  specific 
gravity  of  his  prayers,  or  measure  them  by  cer- 
tain Scriptural  gauges. 

If  a  prayer  contemplates  partial  good,  it  is  too 
light.  If  it  craves  aught  for  self,  regardless  of 
others,  then  it  is  too  heavy;  it  is  self-weighted. 
That  overweight  of  self  must  be  eliminated. 
Again,  if  its  cry  be  forgetful  of  the  Kingdom,  it 
cannot  rise;  if  its  purport  be  for  God's  glory,  then 
appropriately  it  may  be  offered  "for  Christ's 
sake,"  because  it  is  for  Christ's  sake;  but  oh! 
how  often  we  arraign  all  the  forces  of  human 
importunity  to  gain  from  God  something  which, 
so  far  from  being  for  His  sake,  is  craved  wil- 
fully for  our  own.  Thus  questionable  ambition, 
the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of  life,  intrude 
at  the  throne,  eagerly  clamoring  for  royal  endorse- 
ment; and  rudely  pressing  unholy  claims,  as 
though  God  would  lend  Himself  in  evil  alliance. 
A  prayer  which  is  truly  offered  for  Christ's  sake 
cannot  fail,  but  a  prayer  which  closes  with  that 
phrase  while  its  spirit  is  un-Christlike,  is  defect- 
ive and  must  prove  unavailing. 

Another  phrase,  helpful  as  a  test,  because  indi- 
cating the  divine  purpose  and  privilege  in  prayer 
is  "and  unto  thee  be  the  glory  for  ever  and  ever." 
All  such  expressions  round  a  prayer  into  modi- 
fied proportions;  are  equivalent  to  saying,  'Tf 
aught  of  selfishness  or  unworthy  desire  has  crept 
into  my  petition,   then,  Lord,  forgive  the  weak- 


76  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

ness  of  Thine  erring  child;  answer  in  wisdom,  for 
my  heart's  desire  is  wholly  for  Thy  glory. 
'Search  me,  O  God,  and  know  my  heart;  try  me 
and  know  my  thought;  and  see  if  there  be  any 
way  of  wickedness  in  me,  and  lead  me  in  the  way 
everlasting'  (Ps.  139:23,  24)."  But  has  man  no 
right  to  preferences?  Has  his  desire  for  self  and 
family  no  place  in  petition?  Are  not  business 
and  pleasure  included  in  prayer?  Most  assuredly! 
All  legitimate  requests,  all  wholesome  desires,  all 
worthy  ambitions,  are  native  there.  Man's 
preferences  are  undoubtedly  consulted  within  the 
prescribed  conditions,  and  these  are  large  enough 
to  include  every  real  good  for  man. 

"Whatsoever,"  "anything,"  and  "what  ye 
tvill,"  teach  us  the  range  of  our  all-sufficient 
privilege.  Whatsoever  is  asked  consistently  with 
God's  will.  Anything  for  our  real  good.  What 
we  wish  in  line  with  God's  glory  may  fTeely  be 
granted.  Rash  indeed  is  he  who  would  venture 
beyond!  Blessed  in  sooth  is  it  for  His  foolish 
children  that  God  saves  them  from  the  disaster  of 
their  own  unwise  desire. 

But  all  has  not  been  said;  all  cannot  be  said; 
only  with  widening  and  deepening  experience 
can  a  saint  apprehend  the  profound  import  of 
access  to  God  through  Christ,  for  what  Jesus  is  to 
man,  is  "true  to  the  true;  truer  still  to  those  who 
are  more  true,  and  truest  to  the  truest."  With 
ever-growing  significance  God's  Christ  is  also 
man's  Christ.      Between   the   finite   and   Infinite 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  77 

stands  our  Daysman,  to  whom  is  given  all  power 
in  Heaven  and  in  earth.  He  is  man's  way  to 
God  as  well  as  God's  truth  to  man.  Christ  is  the 
"way"  in  whatever  direction  there  is  commerce 
between  God  and  man.  Because  He  is  God's 
revelation  to  man,  He  is  man's  way  to  God. 
Moreover,  above  all  that  erring-  creatures  can  ask 
or  think  He  adds  weight  by  His  endorsement  to 
every  penitential  prayer  and  holy  aspiration. 
"If  any  man  sin  we  have  an  advocate  with  the 
Father  even  Christ  Jesus  the  righteous,"  who  in- 
creases the  human  hunger,  presses  and  perfects 
our  claims,  and  then  satisfies  not  to  repletion  but 
with  a  satisfaction  that  enlarges  capacity  and 
kindles  anew  all  holy  thirsting  for  larger  growth 
and  purer  life.  He  in  whom  I  live,  lives  also  in 
me.  Crucified  with  Him,  nevertheless  I  live,  yet 
not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me.  Our  Priest  and 
Mediator  is  also  our  Prophet  and  King.  Ac- 
cepted as  Saviour,  He  dominates  as  Lord,  mak- 
ing us  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  His  will, 
and  working  in  us  that  which  is  pleasing  in  His 
sight. 

For  prayer  as  for  practice,  our  instructions 
read,  "Let  this  mind  be  in  you  which  was  also  in 
Christ  Jesus"  (Phil.  11:5).  At  that  point  the 
discovery  comes  that  by  giving  Christ  the  right 
of  way  in  my  life,  my  prayers  find  the  right  of 
way  in  God's  programme.  This  indeed  is  the 
significance  of  making  prayer  in  Christ's  name  a 
condition  of  success. 


78  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

THE    HOLY   SPIRIT    IN    PRAYER 

Speaking  in  general  terms,  the  Holy  Spirit 
exercises  upon  man  a  threefold  influence — 
life-imparting,  sin-convicting,  and  spiritual-awak- 
ening. 

The  Spirit  is  God's  agency  in  imparting  life, 
both  in  nature  and  in  grace.  By  creation  God 
imparted  to  man  His  own  Spirit,  and  by  re-crea- 
tion He  restores  the  sinner.  "That  which  is  born 
of  the  flesh  is  flesh,  and  that  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  is  spirit." 

Again,  the  Spirit  is  God's  agency  in  awakening 
a  sinner  to  a  consciousness  of  sin;  for  when  He  is 
come  He  will  convict,  or  convince,  the  world 
of  sin  and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment  to 
come. 

Moreover,  the  same  Power  which  originates  life 
and  convinces  of  sin  is  the  same  Power  that  stimu- 
lates and  develops  life  through  all  stages  of  reli- 
gious experiences  up  to  sanctification.  In  other 
words,  man's  life  is  God's  life  lent  out  to  him, 
and  the  Spirit's  power  is  always  quickening  in  its 
influence;  is  a  life-increasing,  thought-exalting 
force.  Coming  upon  holy  men  of  old,  it  moved 
them  to  speak  God's  revelation,  "For  prophecy 
came  not  in  old  time  by  the  will  of  man;  but  holy 
men  of  God  spake  as  they  were  moved  by  the 
Holy  Spirit."  Descending  upon  the  disciples  at 
Pentecost,  exalted  "gifts"  were  imparted  to 
them, — all  their  normal  powers  being  illuminated; 
and    this    is   the   true    influence    of   the   Spirit. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  79 

He  increases  love  by  divine  augmentation, 
"because  the  love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our 
hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto 
us"  (Rom.  5:  5).  He  is  our  abiding  Comforter 
that  we  may  not  be  desolate.  Our  Paraclete,  who 
will  guide  us  into  all  truth.  Our  steadfast  assur- 
ance, witnessing  to  us  that  we  are  sons  of  God. 

Advance  in  every  department  of  truth  is  due  to 
His  movement  upon  man;  as  well  in  mental,  as  in 
moral  life;  for  He  who  created  nature,  and  the 
intelligence  which  cognizes  nature,  is  the  life  im- 
pulse of  both.  Spiritual  momentum  is  the  Spirit's 
work.  But  the  especial  fact  here  to  be  empha- 
sized is  the  office  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  prayer 
itself,  which  is  declared  to  be  a  distinctively 
Christian  privilege,  the  inheritance  of  this  age, 
for  we  read  (John  16:  23):  "In  that  day,"  and  verse 
26,  "At  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,"  etc., 
where  the  reference  clearly  is  to  the  Pentecostal 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  Again,  with  similar 
instruction  we  are  told  that  through  Him  we  have 
"access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the  Father"  (Eph. 
2:  18).  It  is  in  worship  indeed  that  we  place 
ourselves  consciously  under  the  Spirit's  influence 
and  "praying  in  the  Holy  Spirit"  are  accepted  in 
the  Beloved.  In  Old  Testament  language, 
"They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew  their 
strength;  they  shall  mount  up  with  wings  as 
eagles;  they  shall  run  and  not  be  weary,  they 
shall  walk  and  not  faint"  (Is.  40:  31). 

In  brief, the  Spirit's  power  quickens  man's  whole 


8o  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

being,  physical,  mental  and  moral,  into  higher 
activity.  He  makes  conscience  sensitive  to  sin. 
He  takes  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  reveals  them 
unto  us.  He  illumines,  inspires  and  sanctifies 
us;  quickens  faith;  deepens  love;  and  arouses 
aspiration  for  closer  kinship  with  God  This  is 
much,  but  not  all,  for  beyond  all  the  influences 
cited,  Paul  opens  the  revelation  still  further 
(Rom.  8:  26)  by  showing  that  man's  infirmities  in 
prayer  are  overcome  by  the  Spirit.  "Likewise 
the  Spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities,  for  we 
know  not  how  to  pray  as  we  ought,  but  the  Spirit 
Himself  maketh  intercession  for  us  with  groan- 
ings  that  cannot  be  uttered." 

To  pray  according  to  the  will  of  the  Father,  to 
pray  in  Christ's  name,  and  to  pray  in  the  Spirit, 
are  scarcely  "identical  expressions,"  as  Saphir 
maintains,  but,  more  accurately  speaking,  they 
present  various  phases  of  one  truth,  viz.,  that  in 
acceptable  worship,  man — a  spirit — identifies 
himself  with  the  Triune  God.  As  Andrew  Murray 
beautifully  expresses  it,  "The  Spirit's  breathing, 
the  Son's  intercession,  the  Father's  will,  these 
three  become  one  in  us"  {Wtlk  Christy  p.  203, 
note). 

Lest  any  student  should  fall  into  the  common 
error  of  conceiving  God  as  tripartite  and  sepa- 
rated in  feeling,  he  is  reminded  that  God  is  One^ 
in  a  sense  altogether  different  from  that  in  which 
He  is  Three.  Supremely  He  is  One,  but  as  re- 
vealed to,  and  as  worshipped  by  us  He  is  Three, 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  8i 

and  could  not  be  revealed  to  us  otherwise.  The 
Son  and  the  Spirit  reveal  the  Father,  but  it  is  the 
Father  they  reveal.  There  are  two  sides  to  this 
truth.  God  cannot  be  known,  or  worshipped, 
until  He  is  revealed.  This  is  inherent  in  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case.  But  the  converse  truth 
is  equally  obvious.  He  can  be  worshipped  only  as 
He  is  revealed,  i.  e.,  as  Triune. 

b.  On  the  human  side — the  worshipper's  spiri- 
tual condition: 

On  the  divine  side  we  have  seen  that  success  in 
prayer  is  conditioned  upon  God's  nature,  pur- 
pose, and  ever-present  influence  upon  men. 
Now,  turning  our  attention  to  the  human  party  in 
this  heavenly  intercourse,  we  must  inquire  what 
personal  conditions  are  necessary  to  effectual 
prayer. 

In  Chap.  V,  Sec.  A,  we  were  dealing  with  per- 
sonality as  it  appears  to  the  eye  of  men;  here  with 
what  it  is  in  the  sight  of  God. 

Personal  conditions  necessary  to  effectual 
prayer: 

Sincerity.  The  first  requisite  I  would  mention 
is  sincerity.  "God  is  a  spirit,  and  they  that  wor- 
ship him  must  worship  in  spirit  and  in  truth." 
Sincerity  presupposes  the  soul's  sense  of  need, 
and  then  puts  the  weight  of  man's  whole  being 
behind  the  request.  It  is  hunger  undisguised 
and  unrestrained;  "As  the  hart  panteth  after  the 
water  brooks,  so  panteth  my  soul  after  thee,  O 
God.     My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living 


82  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

God."  And  so  of  every  kind  of  prayer — of 
adoration,  confession,  thanksgiving,  etc.,  sin- 
cerity represents  the  reality  of  the  soul's  inner 
desire.  We  are  to  guard  against  self-deception, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  possible  for  us  to  intensely  de- 
sire something  which  is  not  the  highest  good. 
We  may  be  sincere  about  its  attainment,  but  not 
sincere  in  the  spiritual  sense  which  "seeks  first 
the  Kingdom  of  God"  and  believes  that  all  other 
particular  good  things  will  be  "added"  according 
to  divine  good  pleasure.  A  sincere  worshipper 
distinguishes  between  trooping  passions,  desires, 
and  ambitions  which  press  for  expression,  and 
that  profound  purpose  which  like  an  ocean  cur- 
rent, beneath  all  its  varying  waves,  moves  straight 
towards  God.  Such  movement  of  man's  spirit 
towards  the  Eternal  makes  him  a  true  worshipper, 
and  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship  Him. 

Thus,  indeed,  is  the  first  lesson  regarding 
prayer  inculcated  by  our  Saviour,  and  revealed  in 
His  teaching  of  the  Samaritan  woman  at  Jacob's 
well.  True  worship  is  spiritual  in  contrast  with 
all  that  is  insincere,  unfeeling  and  formal.  God  is 
holy,  and  they  that  worship  must  to  some  extent 
be  in  harmony  with  God.  Until  that  harmony 
begins  there  is  no  true  worship;  in  the  completion 
of  harmony  is  found  the  perfection  of  communion. 

But  effective  prayer  demands  more  of  the 
worshipper  than  sincerity;  it  exacts  also  faith. 
Faith  is  an  unshaken  trust  in  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  God  which  reposes  with  confidence 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  83 

upon  Him,  accepting  as  a  certainty  that  in 
response  to  our  particular  prayers  what  is  fullest 
and  best  will  be  granted.  The  attitude  of  faith 
is  that  of  looking  away  from  self  and  "casting  all 
your  care  upon  Him,"  in  unreserved  assurance 
that  He  careth  for  you.  In  Scriptural  language, 
"Without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  be  well-pleas- 
ing unto  him,  for  he  that  cometh  to  God  must 
believe  that  he  is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder 
of  them  that  seek  after  him"  (Heb.  11:6). 
"But  let  him  ask  in  faith,  nothing  doubting,  for 
he  that  doubteth  is  like  the  surge  of  the  sea  driven 
by  the  wind  and  tossed,  for  let  not  that  man 
think  that  he  shall  receive  anything  of  the  Lord" 
(Jas.  1:6  and  7).  But,  "All  things  are  possible 
to  him  that  believeth." 

Repentance.  Repentance  is  also  requisite  to 
effectual  prayer.  It  is  at  this  point  that  the 
regenerate  and  the  unregenerate  meet.  The 
prodigal,  however  unworthy  his  past,  finds  accept- 
ance with  the  Father  when  truly  repentant,  while 
the  child  of  God,  however  faithful,  needs  never- 
theless to  acknowledge  his  faults,  and  finds  par- 
don for  daily  misdoing.  Sin  causes  separation 
from  God;  repentance  is  the  turning  back  which 
is  necessary  to  full  communion. 

And  with  repentance  must  be  joined  its  twin- 
sister  virtue,  humility. 

'  'Still  to  the  lowly  soul 

He  doth  Himself  impart, 
And  for  His  dwelling  and  His  throne 
Chooseth  the  poor  in  heart. ' ' 


84  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Purity  of  heart  represents  that  higher  stage  of 
Christian  development  extolled  by  Jesus  in  the 
beatitudes,  "Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for 
they  shall  see  God." 

Forgiveness.  To  mention  forgiveness  as  a 
personal  heart-condition  prerequisite  to  accept- 
able communion  adds  nothing  to  the  above;  it 
merely  specializes  by  instancing  a  case  in  point. 
But  for  most  Christians  it  is  the  crucial  point  in 
experience.  No  other  test  so  severe;  no  other 
strain  so  readily  exposes  the  weakness  of 
humanity.  Assuredly  "to  forgive  is  divine." 
The  climax  duty  of  the  Christian  life  is  to  love 
your  enemies,  to  bless  them  that  curse  you,  to  do 
good  to  them  that  hate  you,  and  to  pray  for  them 
that  despitefuliy  use  you  and  persecute  you, 
(Matt.  5:44),  for  only  by  so  doing  can  we  show 
that  we  are  "the  children  of  our  Father  which  is 
in  Heaven"  (v.  45).  Have  you  ever  noticed  that 
forgiveness  constitutes  the  refrain  of  Christ's  ser- 
mon on  the  mount?  Four  times  repeated!  With 
divine  variations!  "Forgive  us  our  debts  as  we 
forgive  our  debtors"  (Matt.  6:  12).  Then  having 
ended  His  prayer,  Jesus  returns  to  the  crucial 
duty.  Verse  14:  "For  if  ye  forgive  men  their 
trespasses  your  heavenly  Father  will  also  forgive 
your  trespasses;  but  if  ye  forgive  not  men  their 
trespasses  neither  will  your  Father  forgive  your 
trespasses."  Again  (Matt.  5:23),  "If  thou  bring 
thy  gift  to  the  altar  and  there  rememberest  that 
thy    brother    hath    aught    against    thee,     leave 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  85 

there  thy  gift  before  the  altar  and  go  thy  way; 
first  be  reconciled  to  thy  brother  and  then  come 
and  offer  thy  gift."  But  the  pinnacle  is  reached 
(Matt.  5:44).  Not  only  shalt  thou  forgive  thine 
enemy,  but  thou  shalt  love  him.  Love  is  the 
transmuting  power  in  all  redemption;  accordingly, 
love,  as  a  personal  prerequisite  to  effective 
prayer,  is  enjoined  not  as  a  separate  qualification 
but  rather  as  the  spirit  which  pervades  all  others 
and  constitutes  the  heart-touch  with  Deity.  "God 
is  love,"  and  man  is  then  most  like  his  Maker 
when  his  being  is  aflame  with  a  holy  passion  for 
souls.  Earthly  affection  as  we  experience  it  in 
filial  and  parental,  social  and  conjugal  love,  are 
but  "echoes  heard  on  a  far-off  shore,"  echoes  of 
an  original,  known  at  its  divinest  in  our  love  for 
God.  Love  ever  constitutes  heart-wealth,  and 
without  its  presence  other  virtues  are  value- 
less, for,  "Though  I  speak  with  the  tongues 
of  men  and  of  angels,  and  have  not  love,  I 
am  become  as  sounding  brass  or  a  clanging 
cymbal,  .  .  .  and  if  I  have  all  faith,  so  as  to 
remove  mountains,  and  have  not  love,  I  am 
nothing,  and  if  I  bestow  all  my  goods  to  feed 
the  poor,  and  if  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  but 
have  not  love,    it  profiteth  me  nothing"  (i  Cor. 

13)- 

Other  qualifications,  you  will  observe,  must 
await  the  sanctifying  touch  of  this  divinest  gift 
before  life  can  have  its  full  worth,  or  communion 
with  God  its  full  power. 


86  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

"He  prayeth  best  who  loveth  best 
All  things,  both  great  and  small, 
For  the  dear  God  who  loveth  us. 
He  made  and  loveth  all." 
Obedience  is  likewise  essential  to  true  prayer, 
but  it  is  not  needful  to  dwell  on  this  qualification, 
since  it  is  but  the  practical  manifestation  of  that 
sincerity  of  which  we  have  already  said  so  much. 
Must  not  the  agriculturist  labor  as  well  as  pray? 
Was  not  Hesiod  moved  of  God,  when  he  exhorted 
the  husbandman  to  pray  for  the  harvest,  but  to  do 
so   with    his    hands    upon    the    plow?      In    short, 
prayer  is  not  something  apart  from  one's  life,  but 
is  that  life  in  its  attitude  to  God.     To  be  effective 
the  whole  personality  must  move  in  the  direction 
of  our  search. 

Not  what  you  say,  is  what  you  pray ; 

It's  what  you  are,  and  fain  would  be. 
God  knows  the  intent  of  the  heart, 

And  feels  your  importunity. 

THE   MATTER    OF    PRAYER 

In  dealing  with  this  division  of  our  subject  we 
shall  be  helped  by  remembering  that  to  be  avail- 
ing the  petition  of  man  must  be  in  line  with  the 
will  of  God.  Now  it  is  the  will  of  our  Father 
that  all  the  legitimate  wants  of  our  nature  should 
be  satisfied.  A  comprehensive  survey  of  the 
needs  of  mankind  would  unduly  tax  our  space 
and  take  us  beyond  the  purpose  immediately 
before  us.  Let  it  suffice  to  indicate  that  each 
individual  has  a  threefold  nature — physical,  men- 
tal and  moral:    and  that  he  holds  social  and  reli- 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  87 

gious,  economic,  commercial  and  innumerable 
other  relations  to  his  fellow  men.  Each  of  these 
relations  must  affect  his  personal  rights,  and  still 
further,  no  individual  ought  to  trespass  upon  the 
rights  of  a  fellow  being  in  prayer.  Indeed,  he 
cannot  do  so  without  "trespass" — without  wrong- 
doing. 

We  have  a  right  to  crave  satisfaction  for  all  the 
proper  wants  of  our  nature,  no  less  for  the 
moral  and  spiritual,  than  for  the  intellectual  and 
physical.  "Blessed  are  they  that  hunger  and 
thirst  after  righteousness."  Blessed  also  are  they 
that  obeying  the  Master's  injunction  cry,  "Give  us 
this  day  our  daily  bread,"  for  "whether  therefore 
ye  eat  or  drink  or  whatsoever  ye  do,"  ye  should 
"do  all  to  the  glory  of  God"  (i  Cor.  10:  31). 

The  general  truth,  "Ask  and  it  shall  be  given 
you,"  is  capable  of  manifold  particular  applica- 
tion. Why  should  any  department  of  human  life 
be  excluded  from  prayer?  Indeed,  it  cannot  be! 
Prayer  not  being  a  matter  of  words,  but  of  wants, 
of  heart  and  physical  necessities  as  well  as  of 
mental  decision,  therefore  the  silent  craving  is 
de  facto  the  prayer,  and  is  not  excluded.  "Ho, 
every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye."  "Whosoever 
Cometh  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out."  The 
line  of  cleavage  between  what  may,  and  what 
may  not,  be  made  a  matter  of  prayer  falls  between 
the  good  and  the  evil.  Prayer  for  any  good  cause 
is  legitimate,  but  that  for  the  evil  is  excluded. 
The  highest  is  to  be  sought — always  the  highest. 


88  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

If  now  to  the  reader  it  should  appear  that  the 
powers  of  prayer  have  been  reduced  and  its  area 
narrowed,  let  us  explicitly  state  that  the  caution 
we  have  observed  in  this  matter  is  taken  ex- 
pressly to  eliminate  from  prayer  all  doubtful  re- 
quests, all  questionable  ambitions,  all  selfishness 
and  willfulness;  and  at  the  same  time  to  empha- 
size the  true  power  of  prayer,  that  divinely- 
appointed  avenue  by  which  man  may  enter  into 
and  appropriate,  up  to  the  full  limits  of  his 
capacity,  all  the  riches  of  God.  How  true  it 
is  that  "man  is  straitened  in  himself  "  we  are 
each  ready  to  acknowledge;  but  it  is  equally  im- 
portant for  us  to  realize  also  that  we  are  not 
straitened  in  God,  for  He  "giveth  not  the  Spirit 
by  measure"  (John  3:  34);  on  the  other  hand  it  is 
written,  "The  Lord  will  give  grace  and  glory  and 
no  good  thing  will  he  withhold  from  them  that 
walk  uprightly."  Our  charter  reads:  "In  noth- 
ing be  anxious,  but  in  everything  by  prayer  and 
supplication  with  thanksgiving  let  your  requests 
be  made  known  unto  God"  (Phil.  4:6);  for, 
"God  is  able  to  make  all  grace  abound  towards 
you;  that  ye,  always  having  all-suffic'ency  in  all 
things,  may  abound  to  every  good  work"   (2  Cor. 

9:8). 

But  enough;  the  Ocean  of  divine  grace  is 
before  us,  the  Heaven  of  God  is  before  and 
above  us,  and  underneath  are  the  Everlasting 
Arms.  Satisfaction  is  assured;  but  we  shall  not 
be  satisfied,  till  we  awake  in  His  likeness. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  89 

Mighty  is  our  plea  for  the  heathen  because  they 
pray  to  stocks  and  stones  and  hideous  idols  of 
their  own  devising;  but  mightier  far  is  our  plea 
because  the  craving  of  their  nature  and  their 
eager  cry  are  often  for  the  vile  and  degrading. 
Cruelty  and  wrong  are  fostered  and  fed  at  their 
altars;  repeating  sensual  desires  stimulates  pas- 
sions which  should  be  suppressed,  and  whose 
utterance  is  sacrilege;  yet  this  perversion  of  wor- 
ship— at  once  death  to  the  worshipper  and  dis- 
honoring to  God — is  cultivated  as  religion. 

B.       SECONDARY   PRINCIPLES   OF   PRAYER 

Now  we  descend  to  a  lower  plane  and  move 
amidst  a  new  set  of  forces.  Hitherto  we  have 
dealt  with  spiritual  relations  existent  between 
God  and  man;  now  we  are  to  consider  those 
psychic  and  sensuous  influences  by  which  one 
person  can  affect  the  thought  and  feeling  of 
others.  Both  classes  are  divine  in  origin — they 
are  of  God's  making,  not  man's,  and  are  therefore 
equally  legitimate,  neither  can  be  neglected  with- 
out loss.  Let  us  here  speak,  then,  with  freedom, 
and  endeavor  by  deserved  emphasis  to  overcome 
the  disgraceful  indifference  to  form  which  long 
has  marred  the  holy  office,  and  brought  free 
prayer  into  disrepute.  Sacrilegious  violation  of 
the  divinely-fixed  laws  by  which  man  moulds  the 
feelings  of  his  fellow  man  is  as  dishonoring  to 
God  as  prejudicial  to  man.  Great  has  been  the 
direct  loss    to  the  church!     Terrible  the  indirect 


90  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

results!  Feebleness  instead  of  might!  Declen- 
sion in  place  of  increase! 

"Had  free  prayer  been  universally  of  a  higher 
order  a  liturgy  would  never  have  been  thought  of, 
and  to-day  forms  of  prayer  have  no  better  apology 
than  the  feebleness  of  extemporaneous  devo- 
tions" (Spurgeon,  Lectures  to  My  Students^  First 
Series,  p.  55). 

In  general  the  rhetorical  principles  of  "prayer 
are  the  same  as  those  governing  effective  address 
of  any  sort — from  pulpit,  bar  or  platform.  This 
difference,  however,  must  be  noted.  The  pur- 
pose of  sermons  like  the  pleading  of  counsel  is 
persuasion;  both  pulpit  and  platform  aim  to 
instruct — the  latter  often  to  amuse — but  the 
special  object  of  a  leader  in  prayer  is  to  induce 
devotion.  He  would  influence  his  audience  to 
self-examination  and  contrition;  he  would  bring 
them  into  a  worshipful  mood  and  then  guide  their 
worship.  His  purpose  is  to  inspire  adoration,  to 
cultivate  thanksgiving,  and  to  elicit  from  hearts 
naturally  unsatisfied  a  strong  craving  for  fullest 
satisfaction. 

Now  the  object  to  be  attained  determines  in 
part  both  the  matter  and  the  form  of  address. 

For  a  sermon  the  text  strikes  the  keynote. 
The  preacher  plans  first  to  catch  the  attention  of 
his  hearers,  then  to  lead  them  along  a  deliber- 
ately ordered  line  of  thought  to  the  desired  con- 
clusion. Moreover,  all  the  forces  of  argument 
and   illustration,    of  tone,   gesture    and    personal 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  91 

overflow  are  marshalled  to  make  that  impression 
indelible,  to  "burn  it  in,"  so  to  speak,  and  com- 
pel it  to  mould  character.  And  his  preaching  is 
effective  in  proportion  to  his  ability  to  accom- 
plish this  end. 

Now  in  public  prayer,  the  aim  is  equally  definite 
and  the  means  similar.  The  result  furthermore 
is  fully  as  well  worthy  of  study  and  preparation. 

A.       FORMAL    PRINCIPLES 

Whether  a  prayer  be  printed  or  simply  spoken  it 
must  nevertheless  have  some  form.  One  of  the 
chief  objections — in  sooth,  the  stock  objection — 
to  free  prayer  is  that  its  form  usually  is  poor,  its 
language  inelegant,  its  periods  ill-rounded  or 
not  rounded  at  all.  In  brief  it  is  not,  and,  we  are 
told,  cannot  be  expected  to  be  rhetorical  in  form, 
logical  in  thought,  or  finished  in  expression. 
Too  often,  indeed,  extemporaneous  prayer  is 
"formless,"  chaotic,  "long  strung  out,"  rhapsod- 
ical, disconnected,  a  sort  of  medley  of  phrases 
devoid  of  intelligible  order;  whereas  it  should  be 
as  orderly  and  consecutive  in  thought  as  a  dis- 
course, as  complete  and  well-proportioned  as  a 
story,  as  carefully  developed  as  an  argument, 
and  always  expressed  in  graceful  and  appropriate 
language. 

Lest  such  exacting  demands  should  frighten 
the  student  let  us  hasten  to  explain,  first,  that  no 
novice  need  expect  perfection  in  his  earliest 
attempts;  and  next,  that  no  person,  save  an  oc- 
casional adept,  without  long  practice,   can   pray 


92  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

thus  without  preparation.  With  us,  "extem- 
poraneous" does  not  mean  unprepared.  It  means 
the  free  utterance  of  digested  and  pre-arranged 
thought,  just  as  in  what  is  termed  extempora- 
neous preaching. 

Having  guarded  this  point,  we  are  now  pre- 
pared to  outline  the  principles  which,  because  they 
govern  the  form  in  which  thought  is  expressed, 
are  termed  formal. 

As  a  piece  of  composition,  therefore,  a  prayer 
should  possess  unity,  movement,  and  develop- 
ment. Unity  affects  its  form  as  a  whole;  while 
movement  and  development  refer  to  the  order  of 
its  contents. 

Unity.  Any  communication  between  persons 
ought  to  possess  unity  or  completeness.  If  it 
be  partial,  fragmentary  or  incomplete  it  is  un- 
satisfactory. In  this  sense  unity  is  as  necessary 
in  a  prayer  as  in  a  sermon,  lecture  or  story. 
Story,  lecture  and  sermon  are  expected  to  round 
up  the  entire  theme  treated.  If  any  part  be 
omitted  which  an  interested  listener  expects,  he 
is  disappointed,  and  rightly  so.  Reason  as  the 
"faculty  of  the  absolute"  intuitively  feels  round  a 
subject;  reaching  forward  it  endeavors  to  com- 
plete inferences,  and  feels  unsatisfied  with  the 
fragmentary.  All  minds  detect  and  resent  the 
lame  utterance  which  skips  from  one  imperfectly 
expressed  idea  to  another  and  ends  with  no  defi- 
nite impression,  and  the  more  cultured  your 
hearers  the  higher  their  demands. 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  93 

Wherefore,  as  an  ideal,  endeavor  to  give  unity 
to  the  various  parts,  as  well  as  to  the  whole 
prayer.  You  must  guard,  however,  agaiust  sup- 
posing that  in  order  to  have  unity  a  prayer  must 
include  a  great  deal.  Not  that !  a  prayer  may  be 
complete,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  short ;  as  for 
example  the  Publican's  cry,  "God  be  merciful  to 
me  a  sinner,"  but  if  that  prayer  had  introduced 
some  other  theme  in  a  fragmentary  way,  its  unity 
would  have  been  marred. 

How  often  in  extemporaneous  prayer  one  hears 
man}/  subjects  introduced,  none  of  them  com- 
pleted, nor  the  whole  rounded  in  such  proportions 
as  to  have  a  distinct  effect — a  bundle  of  scraps, 
no  more  like  an  organism  than  a  parcel  of  legs, 
arms,  fingers,  and  ears  resemble  the  human 
body! 

While  unity  in  prayer  is  as  desirable  and  as 
easily  attained  as  in  telling  a  story  or  preaching  a 
sermon,  it  must  be  remembered  that  you  must 
know  your  story  before  you  can  tell  it,  you  must 
prepare  your  sermon  before  you  can  effectively 
preach  it ;  and  for  a  similar  reason  you  must  con-, 
ceive  more  or  less  fully  your  prayer  before  you 
utter  it.  More  freedom,  I  imagine,  is  permissible 
in  prayer  than  in  discourse,  nevertheless  a  gen- 
eral plan  of  the  whole  prayer,  present  to  the 
mind  at  its  commencement,  is  necessary  to  attain 
unity.  Beginners  will  find  it  helplul  to  prepare 
careful  plans  of  prayer.  This  subject,  for  an- 
other reason,  is  of  such  capital  importance  that 


94  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

we  devote  a  chapter  to  the  Architecture  of 
Prayer,  vide  Chap.  VIII,  p.  114. 

Movement.  The  Lord's  Prayer  is  an  excellent 
model  of  movement.  Thought  is  first  carried  up 
to  our  Father  in  adoration,  then  contemplates 
the  world's  condition  of  sin  and  cries  for  the 
coming  of  the  Kingdom,  acknowledges  God's  will 
and  asks  for  its  enforcement,  then  turns  on  self 
and  craves  bodily  sustenance,  pardon  for  sin, 
ability  to  forgive  others,  etc. 

By  movement  is  meant  that  *' travel"  of 
thought  from  point  to  point,  and  from  subject  to 
subject,  producing  change  ''of  scene"  and  altera- 
tion of  feeling.  Movement  should  be  rapid 
enough  to  hold  attention,  and  orderly  enough  to 
be  easily  followed. 

Development  is  something  more  than  move- 
ment. It  is  that  kind  of  coherent  thinking  which 
leads  up  by  easily  followed  stages  to  a  climax,  a 
definite  culmination  in  some  important  truth  or 
effect  to  which  the  rest  of  the  prayer  has  lent 
weight. 

Order.  Various  are  the  influences  that  tend  to 
move  the  secret  springs  of  men  and  kindle  the 
flames  of  holy  passion.  He  who  can  mass  the 
most  and  the  mightiest  of  these  forces  will  wield 
the  greatest  influence.  Now  all  forces  cannot  be 
brought  to  play  quickly  and  at  once  on  the  mind. 
But,  beginning  low,  and  while  progressing,  intro- 
ducing new  and  increased  pressure  to  bear  on  ah 
attentive  hearer  indifference  may  be  changed  to 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  95 

anxiety,  coldness  to  glow,  death  to  life.  In 
order  to  produce  intense  feeling  the  progress 
must  be  gradual  and  continuous.  It  will  not  do 
to  allow  irons  partly  heated  to  drop  out  of  the 
fire.  Hold  them  still  and  increase  the  flame.  In 
other  words,  there  must  be  in  prayer,  as  in  dis- 
course, a  natural,  intelligible  and  effective  order  or 
arrangement  of  thought  to  produce  a  powerful  re- 
sult. Prayers,  like  sermons,  then,  should  have  a 
clearly  defined  plan.  The  audience  may  or  may 
not  be  conscious  of  the  plan,  but  the  leader  knows 
and  the  audience  is  swayed  by  the  consecutive 
thought  and  rising  emotion  of  the  leader. 

Let  it  be  supposed  that  no  plan  is  laid,  no 
definite  effect  contemplated,  then  the  leader 
does  not  know  where  he  is  going,  or  where  he  is. 
If  he  be  lost,  the  audience  certainly  will  be.  If 
he  wanders,  they  will  cease  to  follow  and  "wor- 
ship" drops  to  "waiting,"  waiting  till  the  leader 
stops.  Power  over  an  audience  in  prayer  may  be 
attained  as  easily  or  more  easily  than  in  preach- 
ing. Neglect,  gross,  unpardonable  neglect,  has 
been  the  cause  of  unspeakable  loss  to  worshipping 
mankind. 

Truth  spoken  is  to  truth  written  as  the  torrent 
to  the  rill;  it  is  a  combination  of  many  forces, 
throbbing  with  the  warm  life  of  a  personality; 
but  all  mighty  effects  of  one  mind  upon  another 
is  the  result  of  growth,  is  the  culmination  of  a 
process,  and  "process"  is  another  term  for  de- 
velopment,   the   root   germ   of   which    is    order. 


96  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Clear  thinking  is  the  track  along  which  troops  are 
mustered  whose  combined  attack  wins  the  vic- 
tory. Keep  the  line  of  march  clearly  open  to 
view,  that  all  arguments  marshalled,  all  illustra- 
tions used,  and  all  fervor  felt,  may  fall  in  aggre- 
gation. It  is  the  massing  of  effects  that  carries 
the  fort.  Another  point  to  be  noted  just  here  is 
this — order  may  be  varied  and  ought  to  be  varied 
a  good  deal.  The  structure  of  prayers  like  the 
language  of  their  phrases  must  be  free  from 
obtrusive  sameness,  must  be  ever  fresh;  by  no 
other  means  can  less  than  willing  attention  be 
held  and  helped. 

B.       PRINCIPLES   OF   EXPRESSION 

Thought  and  feeling  are  capable  of  many  kinds 
of  expression.  In  public  address  five  or  six  lan- 
guages should  be  spoken  at  once;  words,  em- 
phasis, inflection,  rhythm,  rest  or  pause  and 
gesture.  These  are  combined  in  a  threefold 
appeal  to  the  ear,  the  eye  and  the  intellect. 

Everybody  knows  the  pleasing  effect  of  grace- 
ful motion.  Instinctively  the  eye  follows  and 
interprets  the  significance  of  movement.  It  is  a 
native  human  gift,  that  of  taking  on  the  feelings 
of  others;  and  in  this  process  the  eye  more  than 
any  other  organ  is  the  instrument  of  communica- 
tion. Smiles  provoke  smiles;  frowns  produce 
scowls;  gravity  promotes  solemnity.  That  touch 
of  nature  which  makes  the  whole  world  kin 
enables  human  beings  to  understand  each  other 
by  a  multiform  language — facial  and  corporeal,  in 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  97 

stillness  or  movement  —  communicated  wholly 
through  the  eye.  John  B.  Gough's  reputation  as 
an  orator  depended  largely  on  his  command  of 
gesture  and  facial  mimicry.  In  the  last  lecture  I 
heard  him  deliver  the  very  climax  of  his  most 
effective  passage  was  "capped"  by  a  peculiar 
fling  of  the  foot;  that  single  movement  told  in  a 
flash  what  endless  words  could  never  express. 
Clay  owed  his  success  in  meeting  Calhoun  largely 
to  this  effective  weapon  of  debate. 

We  study  the  face  of  a  speaker  and  see  more 
than  we  hear;  for  the  flash  of  the  eye,  the  curl  of 
the  lip  and  the  contortion  of  the  body  transcend 
in  expressive  power  the  range  of  spoken  lan- 
guage. 

It  would  be  out  of  place  hereto  dilate  upon  the 
never-to-be-neglected  worth  of  visible  motion  as 
an  auxiliary  to  audible  language,  since  as  a  means 
of  communication  it  is  not  available  in  prayer. 
Never  too  strenuously  can  it  be  insisted  that  in 
devotion  all  eyes  should  be  closed,  all  heads 
bowed,  all  worshippers  closeted  with  God  in  a 
seclusion  attainable  only  by  shutting  out  the 
world.  The  invisible  is  best  seen  with  closed 
eyes.  Let  it  not  be  thought  either  that  our  loss 
is  great  in  confining  prayer  to  audible  communi- 
cation of  thought.  What  were  gain — unspeakable 
gain — in  forensic  or  platform  oratory  were  here 
but  an  intrusion,  for  in  devotion  stillness  is  im- 
pressive. Relief  from  distraction  is  necessary  to 
complete  surrender  to  the  Spirit's  power.     Only 


98  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

when  the  outward  eye  is  closed  to  the  surface  of 
things  can  the  inner  vision  clearly  behold  the 
unseen  realities.  Stillness  and  quiet  are  helps  to 
absorption  and  introspection.  Either  to  see  our- 
selves as  we  are,  or  the  Eternal  as  He  is,  with- 
drawal from  all  else  but  self  and  God  is  helpful. 
Excluding  the  garish  light  of  earth  is  necessary 
to  see  "the  light  that  never  was  on  sea  or  land." 
Thus,  then,  in  the  loss  of  motion  is  found  that 
gain  of  seclusion  and  stillness  in  which  man  can 
best  worship. 

Still  further,  however,  must  the  limits  be  nar- 
rowed before  we  find  the  true  language  of  prayer — 
for  humor,  wit,  caricature,  mimicry  and  all  the 
paraphernalia  of  ridicule,  scorn,  sarcasm,  etc., 
the  very  weapons  of  debate,  the  ornaments  of  the 
platform  and  forum,  should  be  rigorously  ex- 
cluded from  the  altar.  The  voice,  almost  wholly 
and  only,  is  the  vehicle  for  the  expression  of  pub- 
lic prayer — but  it  is  the  human  voice,  and  the 
human  voice  far  and  away  above  everything  else 
is  earth's  most  exquisite  music;  the  product  of  an 
instrument  "fearfully  and  wonderfully  made." 

The  commonest  of  all  faults,  the  arch  sin  of  all 
public  speaking,  is  misuse  of  the  voice — and  it  is 
parent  to  a  progeny  of  vices  whose  name  is 
legion.  Its  results  are  beyond  computation,  but 
consider  three  effects:  First,  it  destroys  the  very 
instrument  by  which  a  speaker's  triumphs  are  to 
be  won;  and  while  ruining  the  voice,  exhausts 
the  speaker,  inducing  nameless  ailments.     Next, 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  99 

misuse  of  the  voice  wearies  the  auditor — even  to 
the  point  of  distress.  And,  third,  in  addition  to 
all  the  above  misery  it  neutralizes  the  message, 
defeats  the  aim  of  speech,  and  renders  the  very 
attempt  void.  As  you  prize  your  life,  your  repu- 
tation and  the  truth  you  would  inculcate,  have 
regard  to  the  music,  health  and  power  of  your 
voice. 

THE    INSTRUMENT    OF    EXPRESSION — THE   VOICE 

Vocal  organs  require  protection  and  control. 
Control  is  acquired  by  training.  Training  is  a 
process  by  which  the  voice  is  brought  to  meet  the 
demands  of  the  ear — that  conscience  and  final 
arbiter  of  vocal  expression.  Accordingly  our 
program  is  laid  out  before  us:  (i)  Protection;  (2) 
Training. 

(i)  Protection.  Sensitive  and  delicate,  the 
vocal  organs  are  in  danger  of  injury  from  violent 
changes  of  temperature,  from  indigestion  or  any 
derangement  affecting  the  general  health,  and 
from  misuse,  overuse  and  non-use. 

Nature's  economy  imposes  upon  respiration  a 
dual  function,  for  the  same  stream  which  sustains 
life  is  made  to  carry  the  voice;  it  follows  as  a 
consequence  that  protection  of  the  voice  is  pro- 
tection of  health.  Air  may  be  inhaled  through 
the  mouth  or  through  the  nostrils.  The  former 
channel  is  short  and  wide,  the  latter  is  long, 
narrow,  tortuous  and  fur-lined.  The  difference 
between  mouth  and  nose  respiration  is  therefore 
very  great.     Passing  through  the  winding,   nar- 


loo  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

row,  hair-lined  nostrils  the  atmosphere  is  warmed 
and  filtered.  It  neither  chills  throat  or  lungs,  nor 
can  it  carry  in  a  freight  of  fine  dust  particles  to 
irritate  the  organ.  Health  demands  nostril,  and 
condemns  mouth,  breathing. 

(2)  Control  of  the  Voice.  A  speaker's  duty  to 
his  audience  makes  a  threefold  demand  on  the 
voice,  (i)  He  must  be  heard;  (2)  he  must  be 
heard  with  comfort;  (3)  he  must  be  heard  all  the 
time.  His  first  duty  is  to  make  himself  heard. 
This  is  a  necessity;  but,  further,  he  must  enable 
his  audience  to  hear  without  straining  on  their 
part.  His  success  as  a  speaker  depends  very 
materially  upon  their  comfort.  Whatever  de- 
tracts from  that  militates  against  his  influence. 
Loud  and  vociferous  speech  offends  sensitive 
hearing,  wearies  all  ears,  and  is  to  that  extent 
ineffective;  a  thoroughly  bad  habit  to  be  sedu- 
lously shunned.  It  is  not  the  loud  but  the  distinct 
voice  that  carries. 

Again,  the  speaker  owes  it  to  his  auditors  to 
sustain  the  voice.  Never,  even  though  he  whis- 
per, must  the  voice  fall  so  low  as  to  be  inaudible. 
Extremes  are  to  be  avoided;  so  also  is  monotony, 
but  the  comfort  of  the  ear  will  dictate  the  legiti- 
mate limits  of  vocal  variation,  while  skill  acquired 
in  actual  service  will  discover  to  a  speaker  his 
most  effective  range. 

Beyond  the  plain  "duties"  we  mention,  how- 
ever, lie  the  immense  possibilities  attainable  by 
the  finished  speaker.     Control  of  the  voice  means 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  loi 

control  of  the  instrument  or  organ  of  its  produc- 
tion. These  we  need  not  mention  or  describe 
further  than  to  classify  the  ear  as  an  organ  of 
voice.  The  deaf-born  are  mutes,  only  because 
lacking  this  necessary  auxiliary  to  speech.  Ac- 
cordingly, since  voice  control  depends  on  the  ear, 
therefore  the  first  prerequisite  to  voice  culture  is 
ear  culture — or  rather  the  possession  of  a  sensitive 
and  intelligent  ear. 

In  extemporaneous  speech,  so  easy  is  it  to  be 
absorbed  in  the  thought-purpose  of  address  as  to 
neglect  the  pitch  and  modulation  of  the  voice. 
At  all  costs  educate  the  ear  to  hear  your  own 
voice.  Simple  as  that  task  may  seem,  it  is  a 
difficulty  over  which  legions  have  stumbled. 
How  often  a  speaker's  voice,  musical  at  the  out- 
set, is  lifted  into  a  forced,  harsh  monotone  as 
soon  as  he  gets  well  into  his  subject,  and  holds 
that  ear-wearying  tone  to  the  end.  The  ear,  like 
the  conscience,  must  never  sleep.  An  alert  ear 
is  the  necessary  monitor  of  graceful  and  musical 
speech.  It  devolves  on  the  ear  to  adapt  the  voice 
to  the  peculiar  acoustic  qualities  of  the  audi- 
torium— no  easy  task  where  these  are  defective. 

The  ear  must  also  determine  the  appropriate 
"pitch"  with  which  to  begin  address,  must 
modify  the  force,  dictate  the  volume,  follow  the 
modulation  and  rhythm  of  speech,  and  correct 
excesses  of  every  kind. 

Of  course  it  is  universally  recognized  that  na- 
ture provides  the  timbre  and  musical  qualities  of 


I02  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

the  voice;  but  whatever  these  may  be  at  the  out- 
set they  may  be  damaged  by  misuse  or  developed 
by  care.  In  all  practice,  therefore,  fix  yourself 
as  high  an  ideal  as  you  can  conceive  and  steadily 
labor  towards  that,  assured  that  your  natural  gifts 
will  be  strengthened  and  improved  by  exercise. 

Orotund  Voice.  In  ordinary  conversation  the 
tone  is  light  and  appears  to  come  from  the  lips. 
In  serious  and  impressive  speech  it  is  formed 
farther  back.  This  deeper  formation  of  the  voice 
so  rich  in  power  and  pathos,  the  conspicuous  gift 
of  celebrated  orators  and  actors,  is  not  always 
"natural,"  but  may  be  acquired.  If  we  can  trust 
tradition,  the  greatest  of  Greek  orators  overcame 
vocal  deficiencies  by  long  practice  before  he 
became  possessed  of  volume  and  depth  of  voice. 
Demosthenes  had  also  to  conquer  an  impediment 
in  pronunciation.  Now,  what  he  did  may  to 
some  extent  be  done  by  all  who  are  willing  to  pay 
the  price,  namely,  practice,  practice,  practice. 
Imitation  of  a  good  deep  voice  will  enable  an 
observant  student  to  learn  the  proper  use  of  the 
vocal  organs  for  producing  the  desired  tones. 
Other  method  there  is  none. 

Low  Key.  To  acquire  strength  and  distinct- 
ness in  this  key  is  a  real  and  rare  accomplish- 
ment; and  so  far  as  prayer  is  concerned  no  other 
register  is  so  effective.  The  difficulty  of  being 
distinct  and  audible  in  a  low  key  may  at  first  be 
discouraging,  but  the  attainment  is  worth   labor. 

High    Key.       Shrill,    piercing    notes    and    all 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  103 

screaming  should  be  banished  from  public  prayer. 
However  effective  elsewhere,  they  must  be 
eschewed  when  addressing  God. 

Middle  Key.  As  the  key  of  conversation  and 
of  common  discourse  this  register  of  the  voice  is 
capable  of  being  rendered  very  effective  in  pub- 
lic address.  A  simple  method  of  acquiring  vol- 
ume and  strength  in  this  key  has  been  pointed 
out  by  Sheridan.  "Any  one,"  he  says,  "who  has 
fallen  into  a  weak  utterance  cannot  hope  suddenly 
to  change  it;  he  must  do  it  by  degrees  and  con- 
stant practice.  I  would  therefore  recommend  it 
to  him,  that  he  should  daily  exercise  himself  in 
reading  or  repeating  in  the  hearing  of  his  friend, 
and  that,  too,  in  a  large  room.  At  first  his  friend 
should  stand  at  such  a  distance  only  as  the 
speaker  can  easily  reach  in  his  usual  manner  of 
delivering  himself.  Afterwards  let  him  gradu- 
ally increase  his  distance,  and  the  speaker  will, 
in  the  same  gradual  proportion,  increase  the  force 
of  the  voice."  By  this  process  the  vocal  organs 
are  strengthened,  and  if  sufficient  care  be  exer- 
cised, increasing  control  of  the  voice  will  also 
result.  Avoid  straining;  that  is  permissible 
neither  in  practice  nor  in  address.  A  well- 
formed  middle  key  is  capable  of  filling  any  ordi- 
nary auditorium,  and  the  neglect  in  strengthening 
the  voice  in  this  key  leads  a  speaker  to  adopt  that 
high  shouting  note  so  often  heard  In  the  pulpit; 
a  note,  it  may  be  remarked,  as  injurious  to  the 
speaker  as  distressing  to  his  hearers.     Invariably 


I04  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

followed  by  exhaustion  and  hoarseness,  its  very 
difficulty  is  accompanied  by  a  kind  of  vehemence 
unfitted  for  the  expression  of  all  delicate  feeling, 
and  often  out  of  harmony  with  the  sentiments  to 
be  inculcated. 

Articulation  is  the  business  of  lips,  tongue  and 
teeth  chiefly;  accordingly  the  rule  runs,  "Articu- 
late as  near  the  lips  as  possible."  Every  word, 
and  every  syllable  of  every  word,  should  have 
distinct  and  finished  utterance.  How  can  auditors 
understand,  much  less  find  delight  in,  the  half- 
born,  clipped  and  distorted  sounds  of  sloven 
speech?  Obey  the  injunction  of  Shakespeare, 
"Speak  the  speech,  I  pray  you,  trippingly  on 
the  tongue."  Vowels  are  in  little  danger  of 
suppression,  but  give  consonants  a  chance  for 
their  lives.  The  key  to  cultured  and  distinct 
articulation  rests  with  the  consonant.  It  may 
appear  perhaps  extravagant  to  say  so,  but  it  is 
nevertheless  true  that  if  you  "take  care  of  the 
consonants  the  vowels  will  take  care  of  them- 
selves." Accordingly  cultivate  the  habit  of  giv- 
ing full  "life"  to  your  d's,  t's,  s's,  eth's,  ing's, 
etc. 

Pronunciation.  In  order  to  be  effective  your 
address  must  be  free  from  the  blemish  of  mispro- 
nunciation. Provincialism,  brogue,  vulgarisms 
and  all  unworthy  peculiarities  should  be  sup- 
pressed. Various  causes  are  assignable  for  de- 
fects of  pronunciation: 

(i)  Hearing.     An   ear  insensible  to  shades  of 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  105 

sound    may  be    the  unconscious  source  of  defi- 
ciency. 

(2)  Uncontrol.  Again,  and  commonly,  a  poor 
control  of  the  vocal  organs  results  in  all  sorts  of 
clipped,  distorted,  and  offensive  mispronuncia- 
tion. Perfect  control  alone  insures  perfect  utter- 
ance. 

(3)  Imperfect  Education.  Undoubtedly  the 
commonest  source  of  mispronunciation  is  defect- 
ive education.  The  blunders  and  habits  of  youth 
have  become  ingrained.  How  to  conquer  this 
army  of  enemies,  ever  lying  before  us  in 
treacherous  ambuscades,  is  a  problem  of  no  little 
moment.  Each  separate  word-foe  must  be  killed 
or  caught  and  trained  by  itself — a  slow  process 
perhaps,  but  clearly  the  only  path  to  success. 

THE   ART   OF   EXPRESSION 

General  Rule.  I  know  no  general  rule  for 
speaking  which  surpasses  the  epitomized  wisdom 
of  the  following  lines: 

"Begin  low 
Speak  slow 
Rise  higher 
Take  fire 

When  most  impressed 
Be  self-possessed." 

In  other  words,  allow  yourself  range  and  room 
to  increase  your  force,  speed,  and  activity;  take 
possession  of  your  audience  with  skill.  A  tide 
of  feeling  is  a  growth  that  must  be  developed,  and 
must   grow   as   the    speaker's   own    emotion    in- 


io6  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

creases.  Therefore  let  the  pitch  of  the  voice  be 
most  pleasant,  its  tones  gentle,  and  not  too  rapid. 
The  reason  for  this  is  obvious,  since  the  voice  has 
a  limited  range,  and  since  the  progress  of  prayer 
or  address  requires  increasing  energy;  the  higher 
the  keynote  at  starting,  the  narrower  will  be  the 
limits  of  expression.  Moreover,  shrill  notes  and 
screaming  being  intolerable  to  the  hearer  and 
trying  upon  the  vocal  organs,  it  is  but  prudence 
to  begin  with  all  possible  advantages  on  your 
side.  Moreover,  nothing  secures  the  attention  of 
an  audience  like  a  gentle  beginning.  As  in 
music,  the  particular  key  to  begin  with  depends 
on  what  note  you  wish  to  attain  as  your  highest — 
or  as  your  lowest.  You  know  your  range;  you 
know  your  subject,  and  you  know  or  can  estimate 
the  size  and  acoustic  qualities  of  your  auditorium. 
Like  a  skillful  vocalist,  choose  your  keynote 
with  a  view  to  the  final  effect — or  to  the  climax, 
whatever  and  wherever  it  may  be  deemed  advis- 
able to  attain  it. 

Climax.  In  the  treatment  of  the  majority  of 
themes  the  climax  is  naturally  attained  in  the 
peroration.  As  the  counsel  goes,  you  "sit  down 
in  a  storm,"  but  many  subjects  are  more  effective, 
if  after  climbing  to  high  feeling  and  rapid  action, 
the  emotion  is  allowed  to  subside  and  the  closing 
words  are  slowly  enunciated  with  subdued  impres- 
siveness.  I  think  this  is  particularly  true  of  de- 
votion. The  rhythm  of  address  demands  high 
tide  at  some  part  of  the  prayer,  and  appropriately 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  107 

it  may  often  be  placed  in  thanksgiving-  or  inter- 
cession on  some  such  theme  as  patriotism,  mis- 
sions, etc.;  but  a  slowly  falling  cadence,  as  in 
confidence  one  recounts  the  mercies  of  the  Lord 
and  dwells  upon  them  as  ground  for  increasing 
faith  and  larger  love,  makes  not  only  a  suitable 
closing  but  induces  the  corresponding  feelings. 

It  were  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  because  the 
climax  occupies  a  distinct  place  in  every  address 
that  therefore  but  one  climax  is  permissible.  Nay! 
let  the  voice  rise  and  swell  and  fall  in  graceful 
cadence  throughout  the  entire  progress  of  your 
speech  as  naturally  as  in  conversation,  but  for 
effect's  sake  practice  restraint,  that  when  nearing 
the  supreme  moment  of  your  "grand  argument" 
you  will  have  reserve  force  to  take  it  without 
straining;  for  effort  on  the  speaker's  part  taxes 
the  nerves  of  the  hearer.  Graceful  speech,  like 
a  flowing  sea,  is  marked  by  ripples,  and  waves, 
and  billows  (a  few),  and  occasionally  a  tidal 
wave.  Accordingly  the  greater  portion  of  an 
effective  speech  is  characterized  by  perfect  com- 
fort and  sensible  reserve.  Neither  speaker  nor 
audience  can  stand  on  tip-toe  for  two  hours,  but 
our  auditors  relish  being  held  in  breathless  sus- 
pense for  long  delicious  moments. 

THE  SWELL  AND  VANISH  OF  THE  VOICE 

In  prayer  perhaps  more  than  in  any  other  kind 
of  address  do  the  swelling  notes  of  solemnity  and 
dignity  add  power  Further,  the  nature  of  the 
subject  and  all  surroundings  lend  themselves  to 


io8  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

the  adoption  of  this  expressive  medium.  Fot 
man  is  speaking  to  God;  therefore  address  will 
be  measured  and  reverent;  its  tone  deep;  and 
under  appropriate  emotion  it  will  swell  to  ex- 
ultant power  (in  thanksgiving  and  triumph)  or 
gently  move  in  adoration  and  confession  to  sub- 
dued and  vanishing  tones.  In  private  conversa- 
tion may  often  be  caught  examples  of  impressive 
vanishing  tones.  Where  two  in  perfect  heart- 
accord  tell  of  trust  and  appreciation  in  mutual 
understanding  the  voice  takes  on  naturally  the 
note  of  the  sentiment.  So  should  it  be  in  prayer. 
So  will  it  be  unless  bad  habits  have  been  acquired 
under  nervousness  or  unfortunate  example. 

Dangers  to  Be  Avoided.  In  order  to  attain 
power  you  may  be  tempted  to  use  abrupt  ex- 
plosive notes  like  those  of  command — a  sad 
defect  in  prayer.  Rather  let  the  voice  hold  the 
note  long  enough  to  let  it  "swell,"  something  to 
be  acquired  by  practice.  On  the  other  hand 
guard  against  acquiring  artificial  softness  in  re- 
ducing the  voice  which  will  give  the  impression 
of  effeminacy  and  weakness. 

Rhythm  is  the  result  of  regularly  recurring 
accentuation,  and  has  a  physical  basis.  It  has 
been  found  that  the  sound-current  flows  through 
the  vocal  passages  much  as  blood  pulsates  in  the 
arteries;  and  that  this  natural  pulsation  in  the 
music  of  speech  meets  the  demand  of  the  ear. 
Its  disregard  is  inartistic;  while  its  graceful  flow 
is  very  gratifying.     "Not  only  do  the  poet  and 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  109 

musician  arrange  their  clauses  and  melodies  so 
that  the  prominent  words,  rhymes,  swells  and 
runs  shall  be  rhythmical,  but  the  orator,  both  as 
rhetorician  and  elocutionist  must  do  the  same" 
(Raymond). 

Of  course  rhythm  must  be  made  subservient  to 
the  sense. 

;  Emphasis.  The  music  of  speech  depends  upon 
pitch,  rhythm  and  modulation;  its  sense,  on 
emphasis.  Emphasis  must  always  be  expressive 
of  thought,  or  feeling;  otherwise  being  artificial 
it  will  be  offensive.  A  sentence  or  proposition, 
like  an  arch,  has  one  word  of  keystone  impor- 
tance, all  accompanying  words  are  but  builders  to 
sustain  its  weight.  The  thought-import  of  that 
word  may  be  made  conspicuous,  prominent,  start- 
ling; or,  in  other  words,  be  emphasized  by 
peculiar  stress  by  pausing  before  or  after  its 
pronunciation,  by  repeating  it,  or  by  separating 
its  syllables.  Increased  time,  increased  force, 
or  emphatic  gesture  give  a  thought-term  promi- 
nence. 

Time.  Time,  as  the  term  is  used  in  elocution, 
has  a  threefold  application  to  rate,  quantity  and 
pause. 

Rate  refers  to  the  time  occupied  in  delivering  a 
certain  number  of  words — and  varies  from  very 
slow  to  rapid.  "The  part  played  by  rate  in  the 
true  expression  of  thought  is  great.  Now  it 
lashes  words  to  their  utmost  speed;  now  it  applies 
the   brakes    to    them    till    they   scarcely   move" 


no  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

(Pinkley).  The  rate  of  delivery  should  vary  in 
harmony  with  the  ever-changing  tide  of  thought 
and  passion  Rapid  utterance  expresses  joy,  in- 
tensity, impetuosity,  etc.  Deliberate  expression 
is  consistent  with  solemnity,  caution,  reverence, 
etc.,  and  is  particularly  appropriate  for  worship. 
Study  the  effects  producible  by  increasing  and  by 
diminishing  speed.  Any  variation  is  better  than 
none — monotony  is  deadly;  while  truly  wonder- 
ful effects  result  from  skillful  changes  of  rate. 

Power.  He  who  brings  to  pulpit,  platform,  or 
forum  a  musical  voice  and  magnificent  physique 
has  what  may  be  termed  physical  power.  If  to 
these  natural  endowments  he  adds  mastery  of 
oratorical  and  elocutionary  principles  he  pos- 
sesses also  aesthetic  or  artistic  power,  but  there 
remains  a  type  of  power  higher  than  either, 
where  the  purpose  of  address  is  the  advocacy  or 
exposition  of  truth,  viz.,  personal  or  moral 
power.  It  is  that  something,  readily  felt  by  a 
listener,  born  of  transparent  honor.  Its  nature  is 
spiritual,  and  it  appeals  to  the  highest  motives. 
Every  speaker  may  not  possess  physical,  but  he 
ought  to  possess  artistic,  and  be  the  personal  em- 
bodiment of  moral,  power. 

The  power  of  pathos  finds  more  ample  scope  in 
prayer  and  preaching  than  in  any  other  type  of 
address.  The  soul  of  both  is  burdened  with  the 
sorrows  of  the  world,  its  sin,  its  awful  tragedy. 
Redemption  and  eternity  are  themes  which  live 
in  prayer.     The  door  of  hope  swings  widely  open 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  m 

for  despairing  man,  and  help  is  offered — crowned 
with  life  immortal  for  the  lost.  The  gamut  of  a 
prayer  runs  from  night's  blackest  soul  of  sin  to 
the  heart  of  the  Eternal;  death  to  life,  the  limits 
of  the  scale;  with  all  infinitude  of  suffering  fall- 
ing in  between;  nothing  of  pathos  in  the  com- 
plete round  of  life  falls  outside  the  subject  we  are 
treating.  Pathos  is  feeling,  emotion;  the  tide 
that  surges  in  the  soul  when  the  soul  is  like  the 
sea — deeply  moved.  Not  in  words  it  finds  ex- 
pression, but  it  tells  its  presence  surely.  Like  a 
teardrop  on  the  hand,  it  may  be  felt.  Words 
may  sob  and  sigh  with  feeling;  words  may  drip 
with  human  sorrow,  just  as  words  may  laugh  like 
summer  ripples  or  congeal  like  winter  ice.  But 
how  command  this  feeling?  How  use  its  power 
to  subdue  the  sinner  and  bring  solace  to  the  sick? 
Well!  first,  feel  it,  then  express  it.  There  is  no 
other  way.  Not  so  simple  either,  but  the  secret 
lies  right  here.  Be  sympathetic,  and  allow  your 
feelings  to  surge  and  flow.  Stimulated  feeling 
will  not  do.  It  must  be  real.  Then,  again,  there 
is  a  vocabulary  of  feeling  just  as  there  is  of 
mathematics,  geology,  botany,  etc.,  and  symbols 
meaningful  to  all  who  think.  It  is  needless  to 
say  that  in  addition  to  having  feeling,  you  must 
know  the  language  of  feeling. 

The  true  art  of  expression  is  comprised  in  this: 
"Be  natural,"  but  be  natural  with  all  the  com- 
bined powers  of  your  being  under  sensitive  con- 
trol. 


113 


COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 


Be  natural,  but  be  natural  at  your  wide-awake 
best.  Cicero  justly  observes  that  there  must  be  a 
glow  in  our  style  if  we  would  warm  our  hearers. 
It  requires  a  certain  energy  of  the  mind  to  arouse 
activity  of  thought;  certain  animation  of  ex- 
pression to  kindle  enthusiasm.  Emotionless 
speech  is  ineffective  speech.  It  needs  a  live  wire 
to  carry  a  message.  What  is  true  of  telephony  is 
equally  true  of  the  electric  current  which  can  flow 
from  man  to  man  through  audible  and  visible 
speech — a  battery  must  be  provided.  It  is  the 
speaker's  place  to  supply  electricity.  No  better 
field  can  be  found  for  its  generation  than  a  sym- 
pathetic audience — and  in  prayer  the  people  are 
always  ready  to  be  at  one  with  the  leader — wait- 
ing to  be  "en  rapport." 

"Sympathy,"  to  quote  Blair,  "is  one  of  the 
most  powerful  principles  by  which  persuasive  dis- 
course works  its  effects;"  and  all  that  this  master 
of  sacred  rhetoric  so  impressively  asserts  in  this 
regard  is  equally  true  of  prayer.  "The  speaker," 
he  continues,  "endeavors  to  transfuse  into  his 
hearers  his  own  sentiments  and  passions,  which 
he  can  never  succeed  in  doing  unless  he  utters 
them  in  such  a  manner  as  to  convince  the  hearers 
that  he  really  feels  them.  The  proper  expression 
of  tones,  therefore,  deserves  to  be  attentively 
studied  by  every  one  who  is  anxious  to  be  a  suc- 
cessful orator.  Form,  then,  your  tones  of  public 
speaking  upon  the  tones  of  sensible  and  animated 
conversation."      Grasp   this  wholesome  concep- 


PRINCIPLES  OF  EFFECTIVE  PRAYER  113 

tion,  "animated  conversation,"  in  a  pitch  and 
volume  of  voice  to  comfortably  fill  the  room,  is 
natural  speech. 

Prayer  should  not  lack  the  conversational  tone, 
which  betokens  nearness,  but  must  be  free  from 
all  suggestion  of  familiarity.  "Filial  fear," 
humility,  love,  reverence,  adoration,  all  holy 
passion  which  the  sense  of  God's  greatness,  holi- 
ness and  love  shall  kindle  are  appropriate  and 
native  in  prayer.  No  word  of  caution  is  neces- 
sary to  point  out  that  communion  with  God  is  on 
a  higher  plane  than  conversation  with  a  fellow 
mortal,  and  yet  the  soul  of  one  affords  a  clue  to 
the  spirit  of  the  other. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

THE  ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER 

When  a  young  convert  under  the  inspiration  of 
his  new  life  desires  to  take  part  in  public  prayer, 
he  naturally  asks  himself  two  questions:  "What 
ought  I  to  say?"  and  "How  should  I  express 
myself?"  This  is  a  critical  period  for  the  student, 
because  it  is  here  he  is  liable  to  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  future  faults;  here  it  is  also  that  he  ought 
to  lay  broad  and  deep  the  foundation  of  a  correct 
style;  for  however  right  his  heart  maybe,  he  is 
exposed  to  two  dangers — two  kinds  of  ruts.  You 
have  heard  men  who  prayed  the  same  prayer  over 
and  over  again  and  were  unable  to  break  the 
bondage  of  their  fixed  habit.  They  could  neither 
think  along  any  other  line,  nor  express  their 
thought  in  any  other  language.  They  were  like 
an  amateur  builder  who  could  make  only  one 
kind  of  a  house,  and  yet  kept  on  sedulously  build- 
ing row  after  row  of  one-story  frame  houses, 
always  square,  always  white,  always  good,  but  the 
same  unvarying  thing,  till  the  monotony  grew 
wearisome.  No  caricature  is  intended;  every 
church  has  in  it  good  men  whose  public  prayers 
are  like  a  line  of  one-story  white  houses  extend- 
ing as  long  as  their  experience.  Simply,  they 
made  a  rut  and  wore  it  so  deep  that  it  was  next 

114 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER       115 

to  impossible  to  get  out  of  it.  This  is  so  easily 
done  that  we  warn  the  beginner  against  what  at 
first  seems  to  be  no  fault  at  all.  The  mind  will 
run  along  an  old  track  more  readily  than  make  a 
new  one,  so  that  it  is  necessary  to  lay  new  tracks 
until  the  mind  finds  it  easy  to  construct  new  lines 
of  thought;  in  other  words,  forms  the  habit  of 
original  thinking.  The  mind  has  wings,  but 
must  nevertheless  learn  to  fly.  An  architect  is 
more  than  a  builder,  he  understands  the  science 
of  construction;  he  is  able  to  plan  and  erect 
houses  of  different  sizes,  shapes  and  styles.  So 
should  the  thinker  learn  construction  of  thought 
and  its  expression.  He  must  be  more  than  a 
"builder,"  he  must  be  an  architect.  This  is 
especially  important  in  prayer,  where  defects  so 
seriously  mar,  and  where  excellences  so  greatly 
assist  the  worship  of  others.  Once  you  have  the 
right  conception  it  will  be  comparatively  simple 
to  form  the  habit.  Once  the  right  habit  is 
formed  you  will  be  in  little  danger  of  falling  into 
any  rut,  although  it  is  well  to  remember  that  set 
phrases  and  old  lines  of  thought  constitute  dan- 
gers which  always  threaten. 

But  how  is  the  foundation  of  a  good  style  to 
be  laid?  We  answer,  at  first  be  mechanical,  that 
later  you  may  be  natural  in  the  most  effective  way. 
When  a  novice  is  learning  to  shoot  he  is  in- 
structed how  to  bring  the  eye,  the  sight,  and  the 
target  into  line,  and  then  pull  the  trigger  with- 
out losing  the  bull's  eye;    but  at  a  later  stage  the 


ii6  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

huntsman  handles  his  weapons  "without  taking 
sight."  This  principle  is  true  of  using  the  violin, 
playing  the  organ,  striking  a  note  or  expressing 
a  passion.  So  also  is  it  of  forming  lines  of 
thought.  Write  a  map  of  your  prayer — that  is, 
mechanical — follow  it  as  nearly  as  you  are  led  of 
the  spirit  when  in  actual  worship.  For  your  next 
prayer  write  another  plan,  then  casting  yourself 
upon  God  follow  it  more  or  less  closely  as  you 
are  led.  Then  layout  another  line  of  thought  for 
the  next,  and  so  on  until  your  mind  learns  to  leap 
ahead  and  see  the  outline  of  a  whole  prayer  in  an 
instant.  It  is  wonderful  what  joy  the  soul  finds 
in  its  new  exercise  when  once  it  begins  to  feel  its 
new  wings. 

The  mechanical  writing  of  outlines  will  soon  be 
unnecessary,  but  until  that  stage  is  reached,  prac- 
tice the  construction  of  prayers.  The  simplest 
outline  for  a  prayer  is  to  follow  the  different  parts 
of  prayer — adoration,  confession,  thanksgiving, 
etc.  For  example,  the  order  suggested  by 
Broadus  is  as  follows: 

1.  Invocation,  adoration,  thanksgiving. 

2.  Confession,  and  prayer  for  forgiveness. 

3.  Renewed  dedication,  and  prayer  for  help. 

4.  Intercession,  for  all  general  or  special 
objects. 

Beginning  with  the  thought  of  God's  character 
and  mercies,  we  are  naturally  led  to  think  next 
of  our  own  sins;  and  hence  the  order  named. 

But  only  in  a  general   prayer  is  it  necessary  to 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER       117 

introduce  all  the  parts;  and  even  though  this  be 
done,  yet  very  often  some  one  "part"  will  so  pre- 
dominate as  to  give  its  cast  to  the  whole  prayer, 
making  it  a  prayer  of  confession  or  of  thanks- 
giving, etc.,  just  as  the  keynote  is  sounded. 

If  you  adopt  the  above  plan  at  first,  do  not  fol- 
low the  same  order  every  time;  wage  war  against 
ruts;  even  though  you  stumble,  persevere  in  tak- 
ing a  new  line;  e.  g.,  begin  with  confession  and 
end  with  adoration,  or  begin  with  thanksgiving 
and  end  with  intercession,  etc. 

The  difference  in  mental  attitude  will  make  this 
all  the  easier  if  fully  understood.     (Vide  Chap. 

Ill,  p.  33) 

But  the  above  suggested  forms  of  prayer  follow 
lines  so  general  that  it  maybe  helpful  if  we  come 
to  something  more  special.  In  adoration,  for 
example,  the  worshipper  dwells  upon  the  nature 
and  attributes  of  God,  His  majesty  and  wondrous 
deeds  in  creation  and  redemption.  A  natural 
"form,"  therefore,  for  a  prayer  of  adoration 
would  be  to  follow  the  order  in  which  the  Trinity 
is  usually  named: 

1.  Father. 

2.  Son. 

3.  Holy  Spirit. 
More  fully: 

I.  God  is  a  spirit,  infinite,  eternal,  unchange- 
able, etc.;  being  familiar  with  the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism, the  line  of  that  definition  will  guide  your 
thought. 


ii8  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

2.  The  Son  is  the  Revealer  of  the  Father,  Re- 
deemer of  man  and  our  great  Exemplar. 

3.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  God's  spiritual  presence 
indwelling  in  the  believer.  Convicting  of  sin, 
comforting  in  distress,  guiding  at  all  times. 

Now  if  the  ideas  here  outlined  be  amplified  but 
very  little,  the  heart  has  had  opportunity  of 
expressing  its  appreciation  in  a  somewhat  elab- 
orate way.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  either 
of  the  above  sub-outlines  would  afford  scope 
sufficiently  wide  for  prayer. 

Do  not  follow  forms  of  construction  indicated 
by  any  other  person.  Think  out  your  own.  The 
advantage  of  so  doing  is  that  each  key-word  will 
stand  for  a  whole  group  of  ideas  for  which  it  is 
the  natural  nucleus.  Suppose,  for  example,  you 
write  for  the  map  of  a  prayer: 

Creation. 
Redemption. 
Preservation. 
Heaven. 

Each  word  will  call  to  mind  a  separate  body  of 
truth,  and  excite  different  trains  of  feeling;  and 
because  the  plan  governs  the  sequence  of  these, 
their  expression  will  be  orderly. 

By  making  the  outline  short  and  genera!,  much 
more  scope  is  left  for  flight  of  the  imagination 
and  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  At  times 
you  will  be  led  away  from  your  "plan"  up  into  a 
higher  plane  of  thought,  but  having  the  plan  in 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER       119 

mind  you  will  never  fall  below  it,  or  wander  away 
into  inanities  or  perplexity  of  thought. 

The  following  outlines  are  sketched  not  so 
much  to  be  used  as  to  suggest  to  the  student  pos- 
sible variety  when  he  comes  to  work  out  plans  for 
his  own  public  prayers: 

1.  The  Sabbath,  the  Bible,  the  Gospel. 

2.  The  individual,  the  family,  the  congrega- 
tion. 

3.  Infancy,  youth,  manhood,  age. 

4.  Springtime,  the  season  of  promise.  Sum- 
mer, the  period  of  production.  Autumn,  the  time 
of  reaping.     Winter,  the  age  of  rest. 

5.  Revelation  through  nature.  Revelation 
through  Christ.  Revelation  through  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

6.  Sin,  suffering,  repentance,  pardon,  or  other 
experiences  of  mankind;  e.  g.,  think  along  the 
line  of  the  varied  conditions  of  men,  poor,  rich, 
high,  low,  wise,  foolish,  good,  bad,  etc.,  or  along 
the  line  of  various  doctrines  taught  by  the  church, 
or  follow  a  definite  portion  of  Scripture,  amplify- 
ing the  thought  therein  contained,  e.  g.: 

The  Lord's  Prayer. 
The  23d  Psalm. 
The  27th  Psalm,  etc. 

This  is  fruitful  experience,  for  you  will  find 
that  the  prayer  constructions  of  Scripture  afford 
many  easy  and  helpful  examples.  What  could 
surpass  the  beauty  of  the   107th  Psalm,  or  what 


I20  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

could  be  more  simple  in  form?  It  is  a  prayer  of 
thanksgiving.  The  line  of  thought  followed  is 
the  course  of  Israel's  history — broken  at  short 
intervals  by  the  refrain:  "Oh,  that  men  would 
praise  the  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his 
wonderful  works  to  the  children  of  men." 

If  you  would  use  this  Psalm  for  a  model,  you 
might  follow  the  history  of  a  congregation,  or  of 
a  family,  or  of  a  nation,  introducing  a  suitable 
refrain  of  your  own  composition  or  quoting  that 
of  the  Psalm. 

The  first  Psalm  is  even  more  simple.  In 
verses  1-3  thought  is  focused  on  the  good  man; 
the  rest  of  the  Psalm  contrasts  therewith  the 
wicked  man. 

Prayer  No. 66  furnishes  an  example  of  similar 
structure: 

Part  I — Spiritual,  as  compared  with  natural 
light. 

Part  2 — Christ,  as  the  light  revealing  the 
Father. 

Another  model  with  simple  movement  is  that 
of  David's  confession  after  his  great  sin  (Ps. 
51).     There  are  three  stages  in  it: 

1.  Consciousness  of  his  sin  confessed  (vs.  i:  5). 

2.  Consciousness  of  God's  demand  acknowl- 
edged (v.  6). 

3.  Consciousness  of  what  He  fain  would  be  ex- 
pressed, and  the  desire  to  have  the  joy  of  salva- 
tion restored  in  order  that  he  might  win  others 
for  God  (v.  13). 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER       121 

Another  "plan"  often  used  and  in  itself  excel- 
lent because  focusing  attention  upon  other  parts 
of  the  service  in  hand,  is  to  follow  in  your 
thought  the  circumstances  which  make  the  service 
special.  If  you  once  get  the  idea,  and  can  go  to 
the  meeting  with  a  mental  map  clearly  before 
your  eye,  the  mind  is  sustained,  your  thinking 
and  speech  possess  a  strength  impossible  to  one 
who  prays  without  knowing  "where  he  is  going, 
or  when  he  will  stop." 

So  far  from  quenching  spontaneity,  this  plan 
affords  the  mind  a  sense  of  support  or  confidence 
which  leaves  the  imagination  free  for  all  inspira- 
tion. Should  the  Spirit's  power  lift  your  flight 
above  the  limits  of  your  pre-arranged  plan,  the 
impulse  will  carry  your  auditors  with  you,  and 
should  you  so  desire,  or  perhaps  need  to,  you  can 
fall  back  on  your  "plan"  without  the  sense  of 
being  lost  for  appropriate  thought,  but  unless 
something  of  immediate  importance  remains  to 
be  mentioned,  close  your  prayer  with  its  highest 
flight,  while  every  heart  is  in  a  spiritual  glow. 

But  enough.  To  print  instruction  of  this  kind 
is  much  less  satisfactory  than  to  explain  it  viva 
voce,  where  questions  may  be  asked  and  misap- 
prehension corrected.  I  hope,  however,  the 
reader  will  not  think  this  mechanical  plan  for 
avoiding  the  rut  habit  is  intended  to  take  the 
place  of  spontaneous  inspiration.  The  "guides" 
may  be  laid  aside  when  once  the  mind  gets  its 
bearing.     So  much  to  protect  you  from  falling 


122  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

into  one  kind  of  rut — i.  e.,  the  same  line  of 
thought. 

Now  a  few  words  regarding  another  kind  of  rut, 
namely,  identical  expression.  Every  day  your 
prayers  will  contain  adoration,  thanksgiving, 
petition,  etc.,  and  though  you  follow  different 
lines  in  prayer  construction,  if  you  always  use 
the  same  phrases  for  confession,  or  do  so  too 
frequently,  you  will  be  rut-weak  in  prayer. 
Better  far  to  vary  the  language  sufficiently  to  give 
freshness  and  new  inspiration  to  worship,  for  ruts 
are  as  deadening  to  him  who  uses  them  as  they 
are  wearisome  to  those  who  listen. 

Now,  having  learned  how  to  strike  out  on  new 
lines  of  thought,  the  next  thing  to  do  is  to  enrich 
your  vocabulary.  See  section  on  "The  Vocab- 
ulary of  Prayer,"  p.  163. 

Sameness  may  result  from. 

1.  Repeated  use  of  single  words,  for  example, 
always  addressing  the  Deity  by  one  name, — O 
Lord!  O  Lord!  O  Lord! — instead  of  using  many 
different  names. 

2.  Or  frequent  use  of  set  phrases;  of  which  it  is 
quite  superfluous  to  quote  examples. 

3.  A  third  cause  of  this  kind  of  defect  is  the 
frequent  repetition  of  a  few  Scriptural  texts. 
Once  formed,  either  of  these  habits  may  cost 
considerable  pains  before  being  conquered,  but 
conquered  they  must  be  if  your  worship  is  to  be  a 
delight  to  those  you  lead.  But  the  danger  is 
easily  met  by  a  beginner  who  sees  from  the  start 


ARCHITECTURE  OF  PRAYER       123 

what  wealth  of  beautiful  phraseology  is  open  for 
the  expression  of  his  devotion.  Day  by  day  add 
some  new  name  or  phrase  descriptive  of  God's 
attributes,  which  hitherto  has  not  formed  part  of 
your  vocabulary.  Then  as  passages  of  Scripture 
are  memorized  attach  them  to  som^  kindred  text 
until  you  have  "clusters"  of  texts  at  your  com- 
mand. 

There  is  no  other  way.  The  wider  your  expe- 
rience, and  the  fuller  your  treasury  of  expression, 
the  richer  will  be  your  offices  of  devotion.  In  all 
this  I  have  said  nothing  of  the  deep  joy  to  be 
found  in  enlarging  one's  experience  in  spiritual 
thinking  and  feeling;  yet  that  is  the  soul  of 
private  communion.  The  man  whose  "delight  is 
in  the  law  of  the  Lord"  meditates  therein  "day 
and  night,"  and  shall  be  like  a  tree  planted  by 
rivers  of  waters  (Ps.  i). 

Our  Lord  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer,  and 
saints  of  all  ages,  great  in  influence  and  name, 
have  grown  mighty  by  secret  communion  with 
Omnipotent  God. 


CHAPTER  IX 

COMMON  jf  AULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER 

Almost  'all  the  objections  lodged  against  free 
worship  are  urged,  not  against  the  service  as 
such,  but  against  the  mistakes  which  mar  it. 
These  are  legion,  and  their  very  pain  and  prev- 
alence constitute  an  admonition  to  renewed 
endeavor  to  purify  "the  perfect  type"  of  worship 
by  their  discovery  and  removal.  To  that  end  the 
student  is  recommended  occasionally  to  review 
the  list  here  given  lest  mere  neglect  should  per- 
mit some  insidious  fault  to  sully  his  prayers,  and 
by  repetition  to  become  habitual  there. 

Unmanly  Prayer.  Much  of  the  prayer  we  hear 
is  devoid  of  the  "heroic";  its  spirit  is  obsequious 
or  cringing,  or  even  cowardly.  It  is  not  coura- 
geous enough  to  pray  with  Robert  Murray  Mc- 
Cheyne,  "If  nothing  else  will  do  to  sever  me  from 
my  sins.  Lord,  send  such  sore  and  trying  calam- 
ities as  shall  wake  me  from  earthly  slumbers." 

About  such  a  prayer  as  this  there  is  a  ring  of 
honesty  that  appeals  to  the  best  in  one's  man- 
hood. Pastors  should  have  a  care  lest  their 
people  gain  the  impression  that  prayer  is  a  means 
of  soft  escape  from  the  consequences  of  sin  rather 
than  an  exercise  bringing  us  up  for  judgment  and 
correction   therefor,   as    well   as  for   redemption 

124 


FAULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER        125 

therefrom.     What  we  ;z^^<^  is  discipline;    what  we 
cry  for  too  often  is  pardon — without  discipline. 

If  a  pastor  permits  a  cowardly  sentiment  to 
permeate  his  prayer  he  wrongs  the  people  he 
ought  to  educate.  If  he  prays  in  heroic  strain, 
asking  grace  to  bear  divine  chastisement 
"whereof  all  are  partakers,"  he  helps  men  to 
"endure  chastening,"  not  as  though  it  were 
Satan's  infliction,  but  as  imposed  upon  those 
"whom  the  Lord  loveth"  (Heb.  12:6). 

Again,  the  difference  between  public  and 
private  prayer  imposes  need  for  seasonableness 
and  modesty  of  expression.  In  private  Peter 
rightfully  weeps  bitterly,  and  no  language  of  his, 
however  measured,  adequately  expresses  the 
range  of  feeling  surging  in  his  penitent  heart,  but 
in  the  public  office  extravagant  utterance  may 
excite  suspicion  of  insincerity. 

Dr.  Samuel  Miller,  in  illustrating  extreme  ex- 
pressions of  humility,  says:  "Often  have  I  heard 
ministers  leading  the  public  devotions  of  the 
sanctuary  pray  for  divine  assistance  in  preaching 
the  Word.  This  is  very  proper,  and  may  be  so 
expressed  as  to  be  at  once  delicate,  acceptable  and 
edifying,  but  suppose  the  petition  on  this  subject 
to  be  expressed  in  some  such  manner  as  this, 
which  I  have  actually  and  repeatedly  heard, 
'Lord,  assist  Thy  servant,  one  of  the  most  weak 
and  unworthy  of  men,  a  very  child  in  spiritual 
things,  in  attempting  to  open  and  apply  the 
Scriptures,'  etc." 


126  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Sound  judgment  and  correct  taste  will  forbid 
anything  approaching  extravagance  to  divert 
thought  from  the  prayer,  to  the  person  who  is 
leading.  But  while  self-depreciation  can  easily 
be  overdone,  there  is  a  whole  realm  of  aspiration 
so  elevated  that  language  is  incapable  of  overex- 
pressing  it.  There  is  no  need  for  mistake.  Be 
true  to  the  best  that  is  in  you.  Avoid  all  cant 
phrases  or  terms  that  outstrip  your  real  feeling. 
Language  which  was  soul-full  of  meaning  when 
used  by  saints  wrestling  under  stress  of  peculiar 
trial  sounds  "fustian"  and  unreal  when  glibly 
uttered  in  ordinary  worship.  Be  true  to  your  own 
heart.  Say  what  you  feel.  Under  tense  feeling 
and  illumined  by  the  Holy  Spirit  no  mere  words 
can  overstate  a  soul's  experience.  Climb  the 
ladder  into  the  very  Heaven  of  heavens  if  you  can 
— and  take  your  audience  along  into  the  higher 
region.  But  high  language  and  cold  feeling  go 
not  well  together. 

Of  the  genus  known  as  "preaching  prayers," 
there  are  several  species,  vitiated  in  common  by 
one  fault,  they  are  addressed  not  to  God,  but 
obliquely  at  the  audience. 

In  hortatory  prayers  communion  with  God  is 
interrupted  while  the  minister  devotes  attention 
to  exhorting  saints  to  fidelity  or  sinners  to  re- 
pentance. No  reflection  is  cast  upon  his  earnest- 
ness, but  however  worthy  his  purpose,  such 
diversion  is  a  fault  in  prayer. 

A  kindred  error  is  indulged  in  when  prayers 


FAULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER       127 

are  made  too  doctrinal.  We  have  heard  a  favor- 
ite belief  so  unfolded  and  elaborated  that  it 
sounded  more  like  a  sermon  than  a  prayer.  That 
doctrine  must  underlie  and  appear  in  devotion  is 
inevitable,  but  what  should  be  sedulously  shunned 
is  the  introduction  of  didactic  matter  in  such  a 
way  as  actually  to  talk  past  the  Lord  at  the  audi- 
ence. 

Historical  prayers  are  at  fault  in  the  same  way. 
Jehovah  may  be  assumed  to  be  familiar  with  the 
past,  yet  for  the  benefit  of  persons  supposed  to 
be  unacquainted  with  certain  references  the  leader 
is  sometimes  tempted  into  supplying  this  defi- 
ciency. 

It  is  a  pastor's  duty  ever  to  remember  great 
national  evils  and  mightily  to  cry  for  his  people's 
deliverance.  Perhaps  no  other  means  is  so  effi- 
cient for  awakening  sympathy  with  the  suffering, 
the  oppressed,  the  submerged;  and  of  inspiring 
indignation  against  the  inhumanity  that  makes 
countless  thousands  mourn.  But  again  be  warned 
against  that  denunciation  which  forgets  the  office 
of  devotion.  On  no  account  must  "communion 
with  God"  be  converted  into  lecturing  the  people. 
One  of  the  very  worst  types  of  this  evil  is  to  make 
prayer  a  covert  attack  upon  individuals  or  an 
occasion  for  scolding  our  people.  Personali- 
ties are  out  of  place  in  public  worship.  Attack 
is  cowardly.  Flattery  is  servile.  All  diversion 
of  thought  from  God  is  injurious.  Devotion 
should    be  instrumental  in    drawing  the  auditor 


128  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

nearer  to  God,  but  chastisement  at  the  lip  of  a 
minister  must  have  the  opposite  effect.  Sarcasm 
and  wit  are  sedulously  to  be  shunned.  It  is 
wicked  to  make  pretended  worship  an  act  of 
slander  or  the  occasion  of  reproof.  Prayer  should 
prepare  the  hearer  for  the  preached  Word,  but 
hints  and  innuendo  provoke  resentment.  Preach 
when   you  preach;  pray  when  you  pray. 

If  the  minister  wishes  to  retain  his  influence  in 
spiritual  things,  let  him  keep  party  politics  out 
of  his  prayers.  Personal  feeling  on  a  subject 
which  divides  his  congregation  will  but  effect 
cleavage.  His  duty  to  God  and  to  himself  makes 
it  imperative  to  stand  four-square  to  all  the 
winds  of  passion  in  matters  of  moral  principle. 
Patriotism  must  be  fostered  and  sanctified  and 
prayer  is  one  of  the  potent  influences  for  accom- 
plishing this;  yet  the  strong  leader  will  be  wise 
as  a  serpent  and  harmless  as  a  dove.  Party  issues 
brought  into  the  pulpit  will  throw  their  shadow 
on  the  spiritual  exercise  by  exciting  passions 
which  need  no  fanning.  Follow  the  inspired 
counsel.  Avoid  exciting  animosity,  by  praying 
on  a  high  plane.  Suppress  personal  predilec- 
tions. Use  broad  terms  and  bear  on  general  prin- 
ciples. Make  God's  glory  and  the  national  weal 
the  plaint  of  your  prayer,  and  though  at  times 
you  may  be  misunderstood,  let  no  fear  of  "poli- 
tics" quell  your  fervid  interest  in  national  and 
international  affairs. 

Another  abuse  of  prayer,  less  obvious  perhaps 


FAULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER       129 

but  far  more  common,  is  to  make  it  an  occasion 
for  paying  compliments  to  our  fellow  men.  Flat- 
tery anywhere  and  at  anytime  is  most  reprehensi- 
ble, but  above  all  other  places  it  is  most  out  of 
place  at  God's  throne.  Yet  something  like  this 
is  frequently  indulged  in,  for  example  when  a 
brother  minister  is  present  or  assisting  in  services 
of  a  special  nature  and  prays  for  "this  large  and 
intelligent  audience,"  or  the  pastor  thanks  God 
"for  the  eloquent  and  powerful  sermon  to  which 
we  have  just  listened,"  or  pleads  for  blessing  upon 
"our  gifted  and  beloved  brother,"  etc.  Appre- 
ciation of  God's  servants  at  home  or  abroad  has 
a  rightful  place  in  prayer,  but  is  no  warrant  for 
fulsome  praise  in  their  presence.  It  is  to  be 
hoped,  however,  that  condemnation  of  "indirect 
compliment"  will  create  no  over-fastidiousness 
or  chill  the  sympathy  so  native  to  holy  desire. 
Prayer  for  the  pastor  offered  at  the  family  altar 
or  in  the  prayer-meeting  may  foster  a  regard  for 
the  man  and  his  office,  and  so  impress  youth  with 
the  responsibilities  he  bears  as  to  weave  ties  of 
affection  and  esteem  between  their  young  hearts 
and  his,  as  immensely  to  increase  his  influence 
for  good.  Every  pastor  knows  something  of  the 
support  and  encouragement  found  in  the  con- 
sciousness that  his  flock  bear  him  in  remembrance 
at  the  throne  of  grace.  I  fancy,  too,  that  subtle 
telepathy  enables  a  minister  to  interpret  a  par- 
ishioner's prayer  on  his  behalf  so  that  the  words 
uttered  or  left  unsaid  convey  an  over-meaning. 


I30  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Not  every  prayer  rendered  for  him  in  his  presence 
is  an  inspiration — but  I  am  persuaded  that  where 
sincere  desire  is  felt  its  influence  will  reach  two 
hearts — the  Lord's  and  the  pastor's.  In  spiritual 
things  spiritual  interpretation  is  deeper  than 
mere  language  What  is  true  of  the  pastor's 
feelings  will  be  found  equally  true  of  other  per- 
sons borne  in  prayer:  the  afflicted,  the  bereaved, 
the  perplexed,  the  unsaved.  Let  pastors  remem- 
ber, there  is  an  over-tone  of  human  sympathy 
that  goes  to  the  heart.  If  that  be  lacking  no 
forced  sentiment  can  take  its  place. 

Familiar  prayers  move  on  the  plane  of  human 
intercourse.  They  lack  the  qualities  of  rever- 
ence, awe,  and  humility  which  ought  to  charac- 
terize man's  communion  with  his  Maker.  Such 
hallowed  feelings  are  produced  by  a  true  sense  of 
the  difference  between  the  worshipper  and  Him 
whom  we  worship.  To  worship  the  Lord  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness  we  must  not  forget  our  own 
sinfulness.  As  Spurgeon  says:  "Familiarity 
there  may  be,  but  holy  familiarity;  boldness, 
but  the  boldness  which  springs  from  grace  and  is 
the  work  of  the  Spirit." 

Sectarian  prayers  introduce  the  bias  and  pro- 
vincialism of  a  mind  not  large  enough  to  feel  that 
all  the  faithful  are  equally  dear  to  God.  True 
prayer  is  a  solvent  in  which  denominationalism 
and  class  prejudice  dissolve  and  disappear. 
Uncharitableness  may  so  manifest  itself  in  public 
prayer  as  to  breed   positive   resentment    in   the 


FAULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER        131 

minds  of  auditors;  and  what  must  there  be  in  the 
heart  of  a  man  to  prompt  such  a  prayer? 

Irreverence  may  be  as  apparent  in  demeanor 
and  tone  as  in  choice  of  language.  Hauteur  and 
over-confidence  are  offensive  and  quench  the 
very  feelings  prayer  ought  to  inspire.  Careless- 
ness is  painful;  flippancy  impious.  A  grave  and 
solemn  tone  becometh  prayer  and  will  never 
sound  "mock"  if  based  on  real  feeling. 

"Our  prayers  must  never  grovel;  they  must 
soar  and  mount.  We  need  a  heavenly  frame  of 
mind.  Our  addresses  to  the  throne  of  grace 
must  be  solemn  and  humble,  not  flippant  and 
loud,  or  formal  and  careless.  The  colloquial 
form  of  speech  is  out  of  place  before  the  Lord— 
"we  must  put  off  our  shoes  from  off  our  feet  for 
the  place  whereon  we  stand  is  holy  ground" 
(Spurgeon,  Lecture  to  My  Students,  First  Series, 
p.  55)- 

"It  is  little  short  of  blasphemy  to  make 
devotion  an  occasion  for  display.  In  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Lord  of  hosts  it  ill  becomes  a  sinner 
to  parade  the  feathers  and  finery  of  tawdry  speech 
with  the  view  of  winning  applause  from  his  fel- 
low mortals"  (Idem,  p.  56). 

Wandering.  Rambling  in  prayer  is  distracting 
to  the  auditor,  discreditable  to  the  leader,  and 
disrespectful  to  the  Most  High.  To  be  intelligi- 
ble, prayer  must  be  definite.  If  you  know  what 
you  mean,  and  what  you  want,  your  prayer  will 
be  coherent,    and  you  ought  to  know  before  you 


132  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

undertake  to  conduct  others  in  worship.  {Vide 
Chapter  VIII.) 

Foolish  Petitions.  It  is  not  necessary  to  cite 
examples,  but  this  fault  may  be  detected  even  in 
printed  prayers.  It  behooves  one,  therefore,  to 
guard  zealously  against  a  fault,  which,  in  extem- 
poraneous prayer,  is  so  much  more  easily  com- 
mitted. 

Terms  of  endearment.  "Another  fault  equally 
to  be  avoided  in  prayer  is  an  unhallowed  and 
sickening  superabundance  of  endearing  words. 
When  Dear  Lord,  and  Blessed  Lord,  and  Sweet 
Jesus  come  over  and  over  again  as  vain  repeti- 
tions, they  are  among  the  worst  of  blots"  (Spur- 
geon). 

"Never  say  'dear  Lord,'  'dear  Jesus,'  it  is  not 
Scriptural  (Idem). 

Misquotation  of  Scripture.  No  prohibition  is 
intended  against  paraphrasing  Scriptural  concep- 
tions. A  change  of  form  is  often  necessary  to 
adapt  a  passage  for  prayer,  but  excuse  there  is 
none  for  the  grotesque  mixing  of  passages  and 
plain  misquotations  of  God's  Word. 

How  often  do  we  hear:  "Thou  art  the  high  and 
lofty  one  that  inhabiteth  eternity  and  the  praises 
thereof," — a  mixture;  "Hast  Thou  not  said 
wheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
in  Thy  name,  there  am  I  in  their  midst  and  that 
to  bless?"  It  is  not  so  written,  nor  does  the 
truth  of  the  conception  save  the  expression  from 
fault. 


FAULTS  IN  PUBLIC  PRAYER       133 

"Thou  canst  not  look  upon  sin  with  the  least 
degree  of  allowance." 

"That  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free 
course  to  run  and  be  glorified." 

"The  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world." 

Many  examples  might  be  given  but  to  what 
profit?  Shall  it  be  deemed  a  breach  of  literary 
taste  to  misquote  the  classics  and  shall  ministers 
of  God  trip  in  their  use  of  the  Word  without 
rebuke?  But  many  who  would  blush  to  misquote 
Shakespeare  or  Browning  are  careless  with  the 
words  of  Jesus  and  John. 

Too  frequent  use  of  the  divine  name  is  an  error 
to  be  shunned.  This  is  a  habit  usually  con- 
tracted by  beginners  before  "nervousness"  has 
quite  been  conquered.  It  is  caused  by  discon- 
nected thought.  When  once  the  student  attains 
a  clear  conception  of  the  ground  he  wishes  to 
cover  in  prayer,  unless  still  a  victim  to  habit,  he 
moves  forward,  untrammeled  in  his  expression. 
The  name  of  God  should  be  used  only  when  and 
where  its  use  adds  emphasis. 

Avoid  minuteness  of  definition  and  description 
— neither  is  necessary  either  for  the  Almighty  or 
for  the  audience,  and  to  the  latter  prolixity 
detracts  from  the  concentration  helpful  to 
"mounting  upon  wings." 

In  prayer  as  in  preaching  "the  faults  most 
glaring  are:  too  rapid  utterance  on  the  one  hand; 
and   on   the   other,    apathy,    a  sleepy    monotone; 


134  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

indistinctness,  drawling,  the  straining  monotone, 
sing-song,  mouthing,  artificial  mannerisms,  pom- 
posity, flowery  unreality,  self-consciousness.'* 
Wild  gestures,  pounding  the  desk,  clapping  the 
hands,  loud  speech,  or  stamping  with  the  feet, 
are  extreme  crudities  which  scarcely  need  men- 
tion. "Let  everything  be  done  decently  and  in 
order." 

Other  faults  almost  too  common  for  mention 
here  are  grammatical  errors  and  mispronuncia- 
tion; yet  a  word  on  mispronunciation  of  the 
divine  names  may  not  be  out  of  place.  I  have 
heard  "God"  pronounced  variously  as  though  it 
were  spelled  Gaud,  Goode,  Gad,  Gode.  "Jesus" 
as  though  spelled  Jesis,  Jesas,  etc.  So  painful  is  it 
to  dwell  on  this  theme,  that  no  more  can  be  said, 
but  the  careful  student  will  train  his  ear  to  atten- 
tive observance  of  his  own  pronunciation,  for 
doubtless  faults  of  this  nature  are  committed  un- 
consciously. We  note  peculiarities  of  speech  in 
others;  but  remain  insensible  of  our  own.  All 
"provincialisms"  attest  this  unfortunate  fact; 
thus  also  it  comes  to  pass  that  inelegancies  of 
early  habit  intrude  upon  later  culture. 


CHAPTER  X 

SOME  EXCELLENCES  OF  PUBLIC  PRAYER 

Without  repeating  what  has  already  been  indi- 
cated in  Chapters  III  and  VII,  regarding  desirable 
qualities  of  prayer,  it  may  be  well  to  consider 
three  excellences  which  a  congregation  has  a 
right  to  expect  in  the  office  of  their  spiritual 
guide. 

First,  public  prayer  should  possess  a  pervasive 
quality  that  may  be  termed  "prayer  life," 
There  is  a  flavor  of  devotion  like  the  quality  of 
fruit,  which  tells  of  much  sunshine  and  abundant 
showers.  The  life  of  the  saint  enriched  by  com- 
munion with  God  provides  the  only  chemistry  by 
which  prayer  can  come  into  possession  of  this 
excellence.  Without  this  there  may  be  formal 
accuracy  and  much  copiousness  and  variety, 
much  rhetorical  beauty  and  little  room  for  fault- 
finding, yet  much  poverty  in  what  is  most  soulful 
atid  divinest.  Our  people  have  a  right  to  look 
for  and  to  be  disappointed  if  our  prayers  lack 
that  quality  which  more  than  any  other  makes 
devotion  helpful.  This  prayer  quality  of  which 
we  are  speaking,  is  more  easily  felt  than  de- 
scribed; so  that  whether  we  call  it  "fervor,"  or 
"the  grace  of  prayer,"  or  "the  unction  of  the 
Spirit,"    or  any  other  name,  all  will  apprehend 

135 


136  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

what  is  meant.  This  indefinable  quality  consti- 
tutes the  chiefest  excellence  of  prayer. 

But  further,  a  public  prayer  to  be  excellent 
must  be  appropriate.  No  two  days  are  alike,  no 
two  conditions  are  the  same.  Every  occasion 
has  in  it  circumstances  that  are  special.  Ready- 
made  prayers,  however  well  assorted,  but  poorly 
fit  peculiar  occasions,  and  when  they  do  fit  form- 
ally, are  devoid  of  the  spirit  of  the  living  growth. 
Almost  all  Scripture  prayers  grew  out  of  special 
circumstances  and  are  rooted  in  them.  Such 
prayers  have  a  nascent  potency;  their  life  is 
apparent;  their  influence  heart-felt. 

Now  our  people  have  the  right  to  expect  men, 
educated  and  ordained  to  the  office,  intelligent 
and  sympathetic,  to  be  real  advocates  at  the  court 
of  Heaven,  able  to  present  the  needs  of  a  new 
and  trying  hour  when  such  shall  arise,  and  capa- 
ble of  making  the  various  dispensations  of  Provi- 
dence stepping-stones  to  the  throne.  A  real 
prayer,  born  of  the  occasion,  declares  its  life  by 
availing  itself  of  all  contributory  influences,  and 
appropriating  them  for  good.  On  the  other  hand, 
to  omit  the  very  subject  uppermost  in  all  minds 
because  helpless,  or  negligent,  or  because  con- 
fined to  a  liturgy,  is  to  lose  a  golden  opportunity. 
When,  some  years  ago,  Edward  VII.,  then  Prince 
of  Wales,  was  ill,  and  a  call  for  national  prayer 
on  his  behalf  was  issued  late  in  the  week,  the 
only  church  which  failed  to  respond  on  the  fol- 
lowing Sabbath  was  the  national  Church.     Pres- 


EXCELLENCES  OF  PUBLIC  PRAYER  137 

byterians  and  Methodists  and  Baptists — all 
Dissenters — poured  out  from  loyal  hearts  fervent 
prayers  for  his  recovery,  but  because  the  Bishops 
of  the  Anglican  Church  had  not  time  to  send 
down  "prayers"  for  the  use  of  their  clergy,  there 
was  silence  in  Anglican  Churches  that  day  upon 
the  very  theme  which  most  occupied  the  British 
heart. 

Again,  to  use  a  general  prayer,  for  a  special 
occasion,  is  to  lose  a  precious  opportunity.  To 
omit  the  very  point  of  need,  and  introduce 
a  score  of  other  things  is  a  weakness  in  the 
leader,  and  to  the  people  loss  and  disappoint- 
ment. 

Recently  I  heard  two  of  America's  greatest 
preachers  on  the  Sabbath  immediately  preceding 
"Thanksgiving  Day."  The  prayer  of  one  was 
simple,  trustful,  beautiful,  but  its  range  was  nar- 
row. Thought  was  not  carried  beyond  the  limits 
of  the  congregation.  But  the  other  minister's 
prayer  was  as  wide  as  humanity  and  linked  his 
hearers  in  sympathy  with  all  to  whom  the  Gospel 
is  sent.  He  felt  and  made  us  feel,  that  America 
rested  under  God's  greatest  blessing;  that  our 
gratitude  should  be  shown  by  sharing  with  others 
His  manifold  benefits.  He  did  not  forget 
national  blots,  nor  did  he  fail  to  mention  those 
great  national  problems  and  international  issues, 
upon  the  solution  of  which  depends  the  future 
progress  of  Christianity.  His  prayer  was  at  once 
a  tonic  and  an  inspiration;  an  educational  force 


138  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

and  a  spiritual  uplift.  It  took  us  to  a  higher 
plane,  permitting  a  wider  vision,  and  imparting  a 
new  sense  of  responsibility.  The  first  prayer 
omitted  a  signal  opportunity  and  by  that  left  the 
people  poorer;  the  second  made  that  Thanksgiv- 
ing season  a  pinnacle  point  from  which  for  many 
days  many  people  could  look  backward  and  for- 
ward with  new  light  and  higher  living. 

Another  quality  which  may  justly  be  looked 
for  in  the  general  or  long  prayer  of  the  pulpit  is 
comprehensiveness.  If  it  is  to  be  representative 
of  the  vast  variety  of  interests  which  center  in  a 
congregation  it  must  be  comprehensive.  The 
faithful  pastor  who  keeps  ever  in  touch  with  his 
people  is  not  so  liable  to  fail  in  this  qualification 
of  prayer  as  the  eloquent  preacher  whose  reputa- 
tion is  supposed  to  rest  upon  his  pulpit  ministra- 
tions, but  both  will  find  it  to  their  advantage  to 
prepare  lists  of  interests  which  should  live  in  the 
sympathies  of  Christian  congregations.  How 
many  congregations  feel  an  interest  in  miners, 
seamen,  railroad  employees,  factory  hands,  the 
unemployed,  the  submerged,  the  inmates  of  asy- 
lums, hospitals,  "homes,"  prisons;  the  victims  of 
war,  pestilence,  disaster;  and  the  unevangelized 
peoples  of  the  earth;  national  and  international 
issues;  political,  commercial  and  industrial  inter- 
ests; the  educational,  social  and  spiritual  life  of 
the  people;  intemperance.  Sabbath  desecration, 
and  all  those  evils  which  haunt  the  home  and 
threaten  the  state? 


EXCELLENCES  OF  PUBLIC  PRAYER  139 

The  list  is  continued  and  the  minister's  respon- 
sibility thus  represented  by  Dr.  John  Watson: 

"When  the  church  of  Christ  of  any  branch 
assembles  a  congregation  of  her  people  together 
for  divine  service,  and  commits  its  conduct  to 
the  absolute  discretion  of  one  man,  she  under- 
takes an  enormous  responsibility.  Has  she  not 
entered  into  a  covenant  with  those  present  that 
this  man  shall  be  their  mouthpiece,  and  that  all 
the  ordinary  and  general  wants  of  a  body  of 
human  beings  will,  so  far  as  it  is  possible,  be 
presented  before  the  throne  of  grace?  Suppose, 
through  the  carelessness,  or  forgetfulness,  or 
ignorance,  or  idiosyncrasy  of  this  minister  no 
prayer  is  offered  for  the  country  or  its  rulers,  or 
for  the  sick  and  dying  or  for  the  sorrowful,  or  for 
those  in  danger  on  the  sea,  or  for  distant  friends, 
or  for  little  children,  or  for  those  who  have  lost 
the  kindly  light  of  reason,  or  for  prodigals  or  for 
those  who  have  secret  trials — suppose  there  be 
no  thanksgiving  for  the  gifts  of  Providence,  for 
deliverance  from  disease,  for  succor  to  the  soul, 
for  increase  of  light,  for  the  coming  of  Christ, 
for  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  for  the 
victory  of  the  departed,  for  the  life  everlasting — 
will  there  not  be  hundreds  who  entered  the  church 
laden  with  the  weight  of  care  or  gratitude,  and 
who  hoped  to  the  end,  but  hoped  in  vain,  for 
relief?  Can  any  service,  where  such  petitions  and 
thanksgivings  are  absent,  be  called  public  wor- 
ship?" 


140  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

I  cannot,  in  this  connection,  forbear  quoting 
also  from  The  New  Directory  for  Ptiblic  Worship 
a  few  sentences  on  the  need  for  wide  thinking  in 
regard  to  thanksgiving: 

"There  must  be  many  in  every  congregation 
who  come  to  church  in  a  spirit  that  can  hardly  be 
called  devotional;  and  perhaps  the  least  com- 
mon mood  even  for  a  devotional  spirit  is  that  of 
thanksgiving.  We  are  all  more  or  less  conscious 
of  our  sins  and  of  our  wants;  but  it  is  with  an 
effort  that  we  recall  our  mercies.  One  of  the 
difficulties  therefore  of  public  prayer  must  be  to 
evoke  gratitude  in  the  heart  of  the  worshipper." 

Continuing,  it  is  stated  that  "a  prayer  of  gen- 
eral thanksgiving"  cannot  effect  this  for  all. 
"In  order  to  do  like  service  to  the  less  devout  we 
must  mention  and  dwell  upon  the  special  mer- 
cies of  God,  we  must  touch  those  points  of  their 
life  where  they  cannot  but  acknowledge  the  hand 
of  a  loving  Father."  Thus  we  awaken  memories 
and  touch  responsive  chords  in  hearts  that  would 
be  grateful  if  but  led  to  realize  how  great  their 
mercies  are. 

These  three  prime  excellences  of  prayer  might 
possibly  be  absent  from  a  particular  service  with- 
out exciting  much  comment,  and  yet  their  presence 
would  change  the  tone,  alter  the  effect  and  make 
more  lasting  the  influence  of  worship.  Highest 
among  them  would  we  place  the  flavor  of  real 
life,  indefinable  yet  uplifting — the  very  vital 
breath  of  devotion.     Appropriateness  must  rank 


EXCELLENCES  OF  PUBLIC  PRAYER  141 

next,  for  when  prayer  is  part  of  a  living  circum- 
stance, warm  with  the  excitement  or  stress  of  the 
hour,  its  life  blends  with  our  life  and  that  union 
is  powerful.  And  lastly  when  it  is  possible  with- 
out disturbing  the  special  cast  of  prayer  offered 
on  a  definite  subject,  let  your  prayer  be  compre- 
hensive enough  to  enlarge  the  outlook  of  the  wor- 
shippers and  kindle  their  wider  sympathies. 


CHAPTER  XI 

GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES 
ATTITUDE    IN    PRAYER 

Kneeling  and  standing  are  both  Scriptural  atti- 
tudes. Someone  has  said,  kneeling  denotes  sub- 
mission; standing,  service;  but  sitting,  positive 
disrespect,  for  who  would  venture  to  sit  while 
making  his  request  of  an  earthly  potentate? 
Different  opinions  obtain  regarding  the  most 
appropriate  attitude  to  be  adopted  by  congre- 
gations; as  a  matter  of  fact,  customs  widely 
different  prevail,  and  much  that  is  not  very  cred- 
itable is  very  common. 

Let  it  be  granted  that  the  important  matter  is 
not  wholly  one  of  sentiment,  but  very  largely  of 
practical  effect.  To  stand  too  long  becomes 
wearisome.  Weariness,  or  any  other  physical 
discomfort  interferes  with  complete  absorption  in 
worship,  and  in  almost  every  audience  there  will 
be  found  persons  of  age  or  infirmity,  tired  enough 
to  need  physical  rest.  For  these  it  is  scarcely 
answer  sufficient  to  say,  "prayers  never  should  be 
wearisomely  long"  {vide  p.  156),  for  as  a  matter  of 
fact  prayers  are  often  unduly  prolonged. 

Standing  is  probably  the  better  attitude  for  the 
minister  especially  where  the  building  is  large; 

142 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       143 

but  for  the  audience  kneeling  is  more  restful  and 
more  appropriate  than  standing.  Here,  however, 
we  are  met  with  an  architectural  difficulty.  Many 
churches  are  not  provided  with  suitable  rests  for 
the  knees.  And  why  not?  Is  it  because  space 
cannot  be  afforded?  No.  For  the  church  never 
before  commanded  so  much  wealth.  Then  why? 
Simply  because  of  dishonorable  neglect.  We 
have  ignored  the  dictates  of  reverence  and  sacred 
propriety  until  a  slovenly  and  unworshipful  habit 
has  been  formed,  and  our  people  have  not  yet 
given  the  matter  serious  consideration.  When 
they  do,  the  reproach  will  be  removed,  and  a 
better  order  of  things  instituted. 

In  the  meantime  what  can  be  said  in  defence 
of  the  "hateful"  habit  of  sitting  at  prayer? 
Well,  in  the  first  place  it  is  pointed  out  that  many 
congregations  actually  do  follow  this  custom; 
next,  that  it  is  not  objectionable  as  a  matter  of 
physical  discomfort;  further,  that  bowed  heads 
are  as  expressive  of  homage  as  the  bent  knee, 
that  whatever  aids  absolute  surrender  of  the  mind 
to  spiritual  contemplation  is  helpful  and  not  to 
be  discarded  without  good  cause;  all  of  which 
though  plausible  enough  will  not  bear  examina- 
tion. Kneeling  with  bowed  heads  and  closed 
eyes  is  the  attitude  most  conducive  to  worship, 
as  witness  the  universal  custom  in  private  devo- 
tion. If  any  posture  more  than  another  can 
tempt  the  thoughtless  to  forget  devotion  and 
indulge  in  peeping,  staring,  whispering,  and  other 


144  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

impieties,  it  is  sitting  at  prayer.  No  one  can 
give  this  subject  careful  consideration  without 
praying  that  the  time  may  soon  come  when  all 
Christian  people  will  "kneel  before  the  Lord  our 
Maker." 

Note.  Gesture  is  not  entirely  precluded  from 
public  prayer,  inasmuch  as  the  introductory 
"Let  us  pray"  is  generally  accompanied  by  ges- 
ture of  some  kind.  In  this  little  act,  moreover, 
there  is  room  for  error  as  well  as  room  for  excel- 
lent influence.  Customs  vary  widely,  and  per- 
sonalities carry  such  peculiar  weight  that  each 
must  learn  for  himself  what  is  most  effective  and 
must  guard  against  unfortunate,  ungraceful  or 
unmeaning  mannerisms.  Some  place  the  ex- 
tended hands  palm  to  palm,  and  hold  them  thus 
throughout  the  prayer.  In  the  case  of  certain 
ministers  this  appears  seemly,  but  in  others  it 
looks  childish.  Some  lift  one  hand,  others  both, 
as  they  call  the  congregation  to  prayer.  I  have 
seen  a  pastor  bend  his  head  over  the  Bible  and 
commence  to  pray  without  giving  the  people  any 
notice  whatever — indefensible  conduct  surely; 
strangers  in  the  audience  being  quite  at  a  loss. 
Neither  is  it  appropriate  to  act  suddenly  in  any 
invocatory  act.  Nor,  again,  should  the  voice 
take  on  the  tone  of  command. 

Attention  to  matters  of  this  kind  is  well  repaid 
in  its  influence  on  worshippers,  and  is  comely 
before  God. 

Another  matter.      A  minister  owes  it  to  him- 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       145 

self,  his  people  and  his  Lord,  to  know  how  the 
congregation  deport  themselves  during  prayer. 
Having  learned  that;  when  he  makes  prayer  a 
theme  of  the  pulpit,  he  has  opportunity  to  correct 
abuses  and  drop  timely  counsel  in  regard  to  all 
worship.  It  is  his  business  in  conjunction  with 
the  church  officials  to  inform  himself,  and  then 
wisely  to  reform,  or  judiciously  to  commend  his 
people.     Neglect  in  these  matters  is  culpable. 

SILENT   PRAYER    BEFORE   AND   AFTER    SERVICE 

Silent  individual  prayer  upon  entering  church, 
the  all  but  universal  practice  among  church  mem- 
bers, is  highly  to  be  commended,  but  who  ever 
knew  a  pastor  to  take  advantage  of  that  healthful 
custom  by  indicating  to  his  parishioners  the  scope 
such  prayer  might  well  attain?  What  constitutes 
the  burden  of  these  voiceless  breathings?  It  is 
not  necessary  any  pastor  should  know.  Each 
heart  led  by  its  own  hunger  cries  its  own  want, 
and  rightly  so,  but  might  not  wise  suggestions 
enlarge  our  people's  vision  of  the  need?  If  some 
pray  simply  for  self  might  they  not  be  glad  to 
extend  the  weight  of  their  fervent  and  effectual 
plea  on  behalf  of  him  who  in  his  own  strength  is 
unfitted  to  bear  the  eternal  message?  How  many 
think  of  the  unsaved,  the  sick,  the  children,  etc., 
and  yet  why  not?  A  few  words  of  counsel — not 
of  interference — would  perhaps  enlarge  the  vol- 
ume and  increase  the  influence  of  the  congrega- 
tion's silent  prayer. 


146  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

How  impressive  the  silent  pause  after  the  bene- 
diction has  been  breathed,  only  those  can  realize 
who  have  enjoyed  it  long  drawn  out.  What  can 
be  more  unseemly,  what  more  destructive  of 
worthy  emotion,  than  the  cap  and  coat  rush 
observable  in  some  places  of  worship?  Who  has 
not  seen  men  plunge  into  their  coats  as  the 
Doxology  rose,  or  heard  them  shuffle  down  the 
aisle  while  the  benediction  fell,  a  display  of 
inconsiderate  rudeness  deserving  censure  and 
needing  correction?  The  pastor  more  than  any 
other  individual  or  than  all  others  put  together  is 
responsible  for  such  an  irreligious  exhibition. 
He  can  stop  it,  if  not  by  a  single  appeal  to  the 
congregation,  yet  by  enlisting  the  thoughtful 
sympathy  of  the  devout.  One  of  the  chief 
offenders  in  the  modern  church  is  not  infrequently 
the  organist.  It  is  thought  appropriate  to  strike 
an  heroic  strain,  in  forte^  the  moment  the 
"Amen"  is  pronounced,  but  such  vicious  taste 
could  be  corrected  by  asking  the  organist  to 
employ  the  solemn  silence  for  musical  effect.  To 
wait  till  the  stillness  is  felt  and  then  to  break  it 
with  organ  notes  as  soft  as  falling  light,  swelling 
to  volume  and  power,  is  at  once  more  appropriate 
and  effective  than  a  deafening  crash  of  sound. 
The  "crash"  may  be  startling,  but  for  that  reason 
should  be  discarded. 

THE    BEGINNING   OF    PUBLIC    PRAYER 

Here,  as  elsewhere,  much  depends  upon  present 
circumstances    and    the    object    of    the    service. 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       147 

Individual  judgment  and   spiritual    leading   will 
determine  the  appropriate  terms  of  approach. 

God  has  many  attributes  and  many  names. 
Every  name  has  a  significance  peculiar  to  itself. 
Use  therefore  the  title  most  suitable  for  the  cast 
of  the  prayer  or  the  special  petition  presented. 
Is  your  cry  for  pardon?  "Have  mercy  upon  me,  O 
God,  according  to  thy  loving  kindness,  according 
to  the  multitude  of  thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out 
my  transgressions."  'The  Lord  is  merciful  and 
gracious.  .  .";  accordingly  pray  "Gracious  and 
merciful  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  have  com- 
passion upon  thine  erring  children,"  etc. 

Is  the  dominant  note  thanksgiving?  Then  we 
think  of  God  as  Creator,  Preserver,  Redeemer, 
Bountiful  Benefactor,  Our  Father,  etc. 

Is  our  cry  for  protection  or  help?    It  is  natural  to 
think    of    God    as    Almighty,    or    Omnipotent, 
Immanuel,  Our  Refuge,  Rock,  Tower,  Deliverer 
etc. 

At  the  sick  bed  it  is  helpful  by  appropriate 
terms  to  attract  attention  to  divine  love,  ten- 
derness, pity,  etc. 

Enough.  A  little  attention  to  this  conception 
will  be  fruitful  of  good.  Avoid  using  the  same 
term,  ever  and  always.  One  of  the  greatest 
preachers  of  the  age  begins  almost  every 
prayer  with  "Almighty  God."  Variety  is  better. 
For  this  purpose  cultivate  taste,  and  enrich  your 
vocabulary  by  making  ear  and  thought  familiar 
with  many  names  of  Deity. 


148  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

THE   ENDING   OF    PUBLIC    PRAYER 

Two  mistakes  commonly  mar  the  closing  of 
public  prayer. 

(i)  A  prolix,  long  drawn-out  closing. 

(2)   Constant  use  of  the  same  phrase. 

In  general  it  is  well  not  to  prolong  a  prayer  by 
using  many  phrases  of  the  same  significance  in 
closing.  If  a  prayer  has  been  definite  and  the 
feeling  deep,  it  is  a  mistake  to  dissipate  its 
intensity  by  dropping  into  a  line  of  conventional 
phrases  before  stopping. 

Do  not  close  every  prayer  with  the  same  ex- 
pression. Avoid  the  merely  mechanical.  Avail 
yourself  of  the  wonderful  variety  of  encourage- 
ments and  incentives  to  prayer,  and  permit  your 
people  to  profit  by  your  thoughtful  application  of 
these  to  your  devotions.  Variety  helps  to  hold  the 
attention,  and  to  that  extent  is  of  itself  good,  but 
something  more  than  variety  is  possible  and 
desirable.  To  close  a  prayer  for  the  sick  with 
"And  our  plea  is  in  the  name  of  the  Great 
Physician,"  attracts  attention  to  a  special  power 
of  Christ.  A  prayer  for  pardon  may  well  be 
plead  "for  our  Redeemer's  sake,"  or  in  the  name 
of  Him  who  died  for  our  redemption,"  or  "for 
the  sake  of  our  Great  High  Priest." 

A  prayer  for  missions  might  appropriately  be 
offered  "in  His  name  who  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners,"  or  "for  His  sake  who  gave  His  life 
a  ransom  for  us  all." 

A  prayer  for  children  may  end  thus:  "and  all 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       149 

our  pleading  is  proffered  in  His  name  who  said 
'Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me  and 
forbid  them  not,  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,'  Amen." 

The  thing  to  be  noted  is  that  just  as  some 
forms  of  address  are  more  appropriate  than 
others  because  of  the  subject  of  the  prayer  to  fol- 
low, so  also  some  closing  expressions  are  more 
suitable  than  others  because  of  the  nature  of  the 
prayer  just  offered.  A  few  minutes'  study  of  the 
"closings"  here  given  will  aid  the  student  to  a 
true  conception  of  the  principle  involved  and  the 
endless  variety  attainable: 

"For  Christ's  sake.     Amen." 

"In  the  all-prevailing  name." 

"Since  all  we  ask  is  for  the  Saviour's  sake." 

"Unto  whom  be  glory,  both  now  and  forever." 

"In  His  name  we  cry." 

"In  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of  our  Adorable 
Lord." 

"For  Jesus'  sake.'* 

"We  come  through  Him  who  is  the  ever-living 
way." 

"Beyond  the  smallness  of  our  asking,  answer  in 
accordance  with  thine  abundant  grace." 

"And  this  we  ask,  not  for  our  sakes  alone,  but 
for  His  sake  who  taught  us  to  pray.  Our 
Father " 

"Accept  us.  Lord,  and  all  that  is  worthy  in  our 
worship,  for  Christ's  sake." 

"In  the  name  of  the  Beloved.     Amen." 


I50  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

"In  the  name  of  our  Redeemer,  and  ever-living 
Intercessor  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord." 

"Our  approach,  O  Lord,  and  all  our  prayer,  is 
in  the  name  of  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  our 
souls." 

"So  satisfy  our  holy  longings  that  we  may  daily 
grow  in  grace  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ." 

Stop  when  you  are  done.  That  means,  before 
the  spell  upon  you  loses  its  definite  power.  The 
audience  knows  as  well  as  the  leader  when  that 
point  is  reached.  Audiences  usually  are  very 
tolerant,  and  the  worshipful  pray  past  their 
leader's  deficiencies,  but  this  one  defect  need 
never  mar  a  service.  Disappointment  and  unrest 
are  caused  by  coming  almost  to  a  stop,  and  then 
starting  off  again,  once,  twice,  thrice.  A  short 
prayer  that  takes  you  near  to  God  is  good.  A 
long  one  that  becomes  tedious  does  more  than 
present  harm,  it  tends  to  make  worship  less  than 
a  joy. 

THE   PROPORTIONS   OF   PRAYER 

No  general  statement  can  dispose  of  the  ques- 
tion, what  proportion  of  prayer  should  be  devoted 
to  adoration,  thanksgiving,  petition,  etc.,  because 
at  times  a  prayer  may  be  confined  almost  wholly 
to  one  department,  e.g.,  Ps.  51  is  penitential, 
Ps.  103,  a  song  of  thanksgiving,  and  Ps.  148  to 
150  are  paeans  of  praise.  In  any  particular  case  it 
is  a  matter  of  personal  judgment,  but  the  follow- 
ing considerations  have  weight. 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       151 

Too  frequently  public  prayers  are  marred  by  an 
undue  preponderance  of  petition;  as  though 
worship  were  an  occasion  for  alms-begging 
instead  of  a  sacred  service  of  homage  and  thanks- 
giving. Again  we  have  heard  prayers  which 
seemed  too  replete  with  self-depreciation.  Con- 
fession of  sin  is  one  thing,  "calling  ourselves 
names"  in  public,  is  another.  Much  that  "fits 
the  case"  in  private  prayer  may  be  an  offence 
and  defect  in  public  worship.  Confession  should 
be  so  expressed  as  not  to  conflict  with  good  taste 
or  to  suggest  the  incongruous.  Dignity  as  well 
as  humility  becometh  the  worship  of  God.  Let 
our  prayers  be  rich  in  adoration  and  thanksgiving. 

"Oh  that  men  would  praise  the  Lord  for  his 
goodness  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the 
children  of  men!" 

"O,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  for  he  is  good; 
for  his  mercy  endureth  forever." 

"Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is 
within  me  bless  his  holy  name." 

"Bless  the  Lord  O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all 
his  benefits." 

The  Psalms,  more  than  modern  devotion,  over- 
flow with  sentiments  such  as  these;  while  Paul 
lays  down  the  canon,  "Pray  without  ceasing.  In 
everything  give  thanks"  (i  Thess.  5:17);  and 
again,  "Continue  in  prayer,  and  watch  in  the 
same  with  thanksgiving"  (Col.  4:  2). 

As  men  and  women  become  more  saintly  they 
really  do  make  fewer  petitions  to  God,  though 


152  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

they  actually  commune  with  Him  more  and 
more.  The  "less  asking"  is  consequent  upon  the 
"more  trusting."  And  just  so  surely  as  growth 
in  grace  alters  the  complexion  and  the  proportion 
of  our  private  devotions,  so  surely  will  increasing 
intelligence  and  growing  taste  modify  public 
prayer. 

TO   WHOM    SHOULD    PRAYER    3E   ADDRESSED? 

Should  prayer  be  addressed  to  the  Father  alone, 
or  also  to  the  Son,  and  to  the  Holy  Spirit?  The 
answer  to  this  question  depends  upon  the  thought 
or  intention  of  the  worshipper.  As  prayer  is  a 
spiritual  act  the  vital  matter  is  to  think  aright  of 
God.  For  that  end  Christ  came  to  reveal  the 
Father,  to  do  the  Father's  will,  and  to  be  man's 
way  to  the  Father.  Accordingly  we  are  taught 
by  our  Saviour's  example  and  His  definite  pre- 
cept to  address  "Our  Father  who  art  in  heaven"; 
the  divine  intention  being  that  the  Father  may 
be  glorified. 

The  general  rule,  therefore,  is  perfectly  clear: 
We  should  pray  to  the  Father;  in  the  name  of  the 
Son;  and  by  the  aid  of  the  Spirit,  given  to  help 
our  infirmities  in  prayer.  But  is  it  to  be  implied 
that  we  are  never  to  address  Christ  or  the  Holy 
Spirit?  By  no  means.  God  is  one — Triune,  not 
Tripartite,  and  we  are  to  worship  Him  as  He  is. 
The  cry  of  faith  often  rises  to  the  Great  Physi- 
cian. Our  natures  crave  the  Spirit's  presence. 
What  seems  needful  is  to  have  an  intelligent  con- 
ception of  the  Deity,  then  the  heart  will  go  out 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       153 

aright  to  Him.  Where  address  is  habitually  con- 
fined to  "J^sus"  the  impropriety  amounts  to  dis- 
regard of  His  own  command  and  the  purpose  of 
His  coming.  A  further  error  is  apt  to  ensue, 
namely  that  kind  of  familiarity  which  forgetful  of 
the  majesty  of  God  indulges  itself  in  inappro- 
priate terms  of  endearment.  Whatever  floods 
of  uninterrupted  feeling  may  enrapture  private 
meditation,  nevertheless  public  worship  should 
be  characterized  by  dignity  and  reverence.  All 
public  worship  is  educative.  Thither  come  the 
children  and  the  unworshipful.  There,  too,  may  be 
found  those  "who  came  to  scoff,"  but  who  may 
remain  to  pray.  Accordingly  for  man's  sake  as 
well  as  God's  glory  public  service  must  be  appro- 
priate, and  the  loftiest  ideal  as  well  as  the  clear 
intent  of  revelation  is  that  we  should  address  God 
the  Father  when  we  pray. 

Prayer  No.  27  is  an  excellent  example  of  prayer 
addressed  to  the  Son. 

HOW   MANY   PRAYERS    IN   THE    SERVICE? 

That  will  depend  upon  the  nature  of  the  serv- 
ice. In  the  general  church  service  there  should 
be  at  least  four  prayers.  The  invocation,  a  gen- 
eral prayer,  a  special  prayer,  and  the  benediction. 

The  invocation,  as  a  call  to  worship  as  well  as 
an  appeal  for  the  sensible  presence  and  blessing 
of  the  Lord  God,  is  often  general  in  its  tenor,  but 
not  infrequently  should  strike  the  keynote  of  the 
rest  of  the  service.  Two  points  only  need  to  be 
noticed  here:  one,  that  worship  should  commence 


154  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

with  invocation.  Even  where,  as  is  now  so  fre- 
quently the  custom,  a  Doxology  is  sung,  yet  that 
should  be  in  response  to  the  pastor's  call,  "Let  us 
worship  God!"  It  should  not  be  the  first  selec- 
tion on  a  programme  in  which  the  choir  takes 
leading  place.  Thus  the  Doxology  becomes  part, 
so  to  speak,  of  the  invocation,  which  is  pro- 
nounced while  the  audience  remains  standing. 
Next,  the  invocation  should  be  frequently 
changed.  A  new  invocation  for  every  service 
would  probably  be  the  ideal — an  ideal  difficult, 
however,  of  attainment — but  difference  of  opin- 
ion does  and  probably  will  continue  to  prevail  in 
this  regard. 

Where  the  Lord's  Prayer  is  used  in  place  of  an 
"Invocation,"  as  in  some  places  is  regularly  done 
for  one  of  the  services,  the  people  soon  learn  to 
expect  it,  especially  where  they  join  in  its  audi- 
ble utterance.  More  appropriately  it  may  be 
reserved  for  a  special  place  in  the  service. 

The  general  prayer,  often  called  the  long  prayer, 
should  not  be  too  long.  Its  contents  and  cast 
are  partly  determined  from  the  fact  that  it  should 
include  all  those  "parts"  of  prayer,  which  are 
not  provided  for  by  special  prayers.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  it  is  often  devoted  largely  to  intercession 
(on  behalf  of  our  rulers,  our  country,  the  sick,  the 
heathen,  etc.).  And  this  brings  us  to  the  special 
prayer.  In  almost  every  Sabbath  service  there 
should  be  a  special  prayer.  In  the  ordinary  serv- 
ice it  may  be  (a)   a  plea  for  inspiration   imme- 


GENERAL  PRACTICAL  RULES       155 

diately  before  commencing  the  sermon;  or  (b)  it 
may  be  remembrance  of  some  special  case  at  the 
throne,  e.  g.,  a  dying  member,  a  sick  sovereign,  a 
prayer  for  rain,  etc.,  or  (c)  it  may  be  in  a  fuller 
sense  intercessory.  Where  the  last  becomes  cus- 
tomary, then  there  may  be  less  of  intercession  in 
the  general  prayer. 

The  advantage  in  having  a  special  prayer  is 
that  during  the  week  events  may  dictate  some 
peculiar  need  which  is  emphasized  by  being 
given  a  distinct  place. 

Where  there  is  no  objection  to  increasing  the 
length  and  variety  of  service,  a  special  prayer  can 
be  used  to  good  effect  immediately  after  the 
"offering."  Indeed,  in  any  church  service  where 
the  "collection"  is  allowed  to  become  a  thing  of 
itself,  dropped  in  as  a  necessary  intrusion — a  slice 
of  business  at  fault  with  devotion — real  harm  is 
done  the  worshipper.  Any  conception  that  "busi- 
ness" or  "support"  is  an  unfortunate  necessity  is 
injurious.  Worship  is  defective  which  does  not 
include  gifts  unto  God.  "Sacrifices"  ought  to 
form  part  of  our  worship,  but  if  taken  apologet- 
ically or  at  the  point  of  coaxing  or  begging,  the 
divine  effect  is  lost — the  wine  is  spilt  between  the 
ewer  and  the  altar.  Let  the  offering  be  conse- 
crated by  a  brief  prayer,  of  import  somewhat 
similar  to  No.  82. 

Nothing  has,  as  yet,  been  said  of  the  prayer 
immediately  following  the  sermon,  and  nothing 
so  appropriately  follows  the  sermon  as   prayer; 


156  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

but  where  it  can  be  arranged  there  may  well  be 
five  prayers  in  the  regular  Sabbath  service,  and 
this  particular  prayer  should  hold  the  attention  to 
truths  expounded;  and  seek  grace  to  put  into 
practice  the  principles  enforced,  or  to  escape  the 
sins  against  which  warnings  have  been  pro- 
nounced. A  sermon  which  does  not  affect  the 
conduct  or  mould  the  character  of  a  hearer  is 
a  failure,  and  prayer  may  make  this  truth  prom- 
inent.    (Vide  Prayer  No.  79.) 

THE    LENGTH   OF   PRAYERS 

Never  brief  enough  to  be  abrupt — never  long 
enough  to  be  wearisome.  Effective  prayer  is 
characterized  by  an  energy  of  the  soul — an  intense 
concentration  of  all  man's  mental  and  spiritual 
forces.  This  cannot  be  long  sustained.  Even 
the  spiritually-minded  man  in  his  best  mood 
sinks  back  to  earth  again  from  his  sublimest 
flight,  and  more  quickly  is  this  the  case  in  public 
than  in  private  prayer.  But  if  the  holiest  and 
most  devout  find  a  limit  to  intensest  thought, 
then  it  must  be  remembered  that  others  less 
spiritual,  and  less  experienced,  will  fail  even 
sooner  in  devotion.  Prayer  should  be  helpful  to 
children,  and  to  others  who  cannot  "keep  pace 
with"  or  "hold  to  the  end"  a  protracted  prayer. 
It  requires  grace  and  wisdom  for  a  leader,  if  he 
be  in  prayerful  mood,  to  restrain  himself  so  as 
not  to  prolong  his  prayer  beyond  the  point  of 
intent  attention  of  his  audience.  Dr.  Charles 
Brown  of  Edinburgh  has  laid  it  down  as  a  law 


GENERAL   PRACTICAL    RULES       157 

that  ten  minutes  is  the  limit  to  which  public 
prayer  should  be  confined.  Many  in  our  day 
would  consider  a  ten  minute  prayer  unduly  long. 
Quality  is  a  more  important  element  than  quan- 
tity, accordingly  your  working  rule  runs,  "Cease 
before  the  spell  breaks. ' '  When  the  solemn  still- 
ness of  wrapt  attention  fails,  accept  that  as  evi- 
dence that  interest  is  waning  on  the  part  of  the 
people.  Beyond  that  point  effectiveness  is 
reduced  by  continuance.  ' '  He  prayed  me  into  a 
good  frame  of  mind,"  George  Whitefield  once 
said  of  a  certain  preacher,  "and  if  he  had  stopped 
there  it  would  have  been  well ;  but  he  prayed  me 
out  of  it  again  by  keeping  on."  Let  it  be  re- 
membered the  leader  is  not  praying  for  himself, 
his  position  lays  upon  him  the  duty  of  conducting 
the  worship  of  the  people.  If  he  fail  in  this,  he 
has  failed  in  the  office.  Private  prayer  has  none 
but  subjective  limits,  but  a  different  canon  gov- 
erns public  worship. 

Again,  vary  the  length  of  public  prayers.  This 
as  much  for  your  own  sake  as  for  that  of  the 
audience,  for  to  continue  in  prayer  beyond  your 
mood  or  the  inspiration  of  the  hour  is  as  great  a 
mistake  as  to  transcend  the  endurance  of  the  con- 
gregation. Besides,  variety  effects  the  "shock" 
of  thought  and  redeems  from  death-producing 
monotony. 

POETRY   IN    PRAYER? 

Should  poetry  be  used  in  prayer?  To  answer 
no,  would  be  misleading.     All  devotional  liter- 


158  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

ature  is  poetical;  even  when  written  in  prose  as  are 
our  modern  prayers,  it  is  permeated  by  poetical 
thought  and  richly  garnished  with  poetical 
phrases  borrowed  chiefly  from  the  Psalms.  In  its 
highest  flights  prayer  becomes  rhythmical  and 
clothes  itself  in  highly  figurative  language. 
Exalted  thought  tends  to  apparel  itself  in  appro- 
priate phraseology.  Hence  the  distinction  be- 
tween poetry  and  prose.  The  same  flight  which 
carries  a  soul  beyond  ordinary  experience  gives 
birth  to  the  language  of  its  expression.  In  this 
is  discovered  one  of  the  differences  between  the 
prayer  and  the  sermon.  The  former  because  it  is 
what  it  is  tends  toward  the  poetical  in  thought, 
feeling  and  expression.  But  should  poetry  other 
than  Scriptural  be  quoted  in  prayer?  This  is  a 
different  question.  Generally  speaking,  no.  It 
is  especially  bad  taste  to  introduce  long  quota- 
tions, e.  g.,  whole  verses  of  poetry.  The  effect  is 
usually  weakening.  There  are  rare  exceptions 
which  prove  this  rule,  but  these  require  a  strong 
man,  and  an  exceptional  quotation,  to  redeem 
them  from  effeminacy.  While,  however,  long 
quotations  are  to  be  avoided  as  unsuitable  in 
prayer,  yet  phrases  taken  from  poetry — the  great 
mint  in  which  gems  of  thought  are  coined — may 
be  freely  adopted.  The  cultured  mind  will 
reveal  itself  in  cultured  language.  This  is  a 
virtue,  not  a  fault.  The  fault  is  dragging  in 
verses  for  artificial  effect — one  of  the  weakest 
errors  a  student  can  fall  into. 


CHAPTER  XII 

TRAINING  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER 

Success  in  training  depends  to  a  considerable 
extent  upon  having  (i)  a  worthy  ideal,  (2)  correct 
methods. 

But  how  can  the  student  obtain  a  high  and  true 
ideal?  That  depends  in  part  upon  his  own  spiri- 
tual gift;  in  part  also  upon  the  living  examples  he 
has  opportunity  of  hearing.  No  other  teaching 
equals  viva  voce  example.  The  disciples  heard 
the  wonderful  voice  of  Him  who  spake  as  never 
man  spake.  His  prayers  revealed  the  mighty 
power  of  worship,  and  kindled  their  desire  to 
pray  as  did  their  Master.  Their  ideal  was  divine. 
True,  we  must  rest  content  with  human  examples, 
but  many  have  gifts  of  singular  excellence.  I 
have  heard  Charles  H.  Spurgeon  and  Dr.  Joseph 
Parker,  and  a  good  many  others  less  famous  but 
scarcely  less  talented  leaders  of  public  devotion, 
and  feel  still  the  impulse  their  worship  imparted. 
Get  near  the  best  living  models  you  can  find. 
Permit  their  influence  to  leave  its  deepest  impress 
upon  your  soul — so  that  it  will  stay  with  you. 
Surrendering  yourself  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  live 
over  and  over  again  the  holy  emotion  at  your  own 
private  altar.  Encourage  the  development  of 
feeling.     An    ideal  is  a  growing   thing;    it  will 

159 


i6o  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

change  and  vary,  but  its  alterations  will  be  marks 
of  a  real  development  in  your  experience.  If  you 
have  as  yet  no  very  definite  ideal,  then  make  the 
attainment  of  that  a  matter  of  prayer.  Its  impor- 
tance is  too  great  to  be  ignored.  Cherish  the 
desire  for  great  power  in  prayer. 

Next,  what  methods  are  best?  That  depends 
first  upon  the  person  in  training  and  next  upon 
his  circumstances.  Happy  is  he  who  finds  him- 
self in  the  hands  of  a  good  professor  or  personal 
friend  of  ability,  who  can  and  will  deal  kindly 
and  judiciously  with  him.  To  discover  one's 
own  deficiencies  is  no  light  matter.  We  all  real- 
ize to  some  extent  our  defects.  These  we  attack 
and  have  hope  of  conquering,  but  how  can  we 
overcome  unconscious  faults?  These  blemishes 
may  be  life-lasting  unless  some  true  friend,  at  the 
risk  of  wounding  our  vanity,  wisely  brings  them 
to  our  notice.  Again,  even  to  a  professor,  duty 
of  this  nature  is  a  delicate  business,  because  the 
inidviduality  of  the  student  must  not  be  elimi- 
nated, and  it  is  all  the  more  a  difficult  duty 
because  hitherto  insufficient  attention  has  been 
devoted  thereto  by  theological  teachers. 

But  assuming  the  case  of  a  student  of  prayer 
who  is  not  at  college  and  has  no  regular  teacher, 
what  methods  should  such  an  one  adopt? 

First,  in  your  own  private  devotions  pray  aloud. 
This  you  can  do  unhampered  by  the  nervousness 
usually  caused  by  the  presence  of  auditors. 
Audible  prayer  exacts  of  you  more  orderly  con- 


TRAINING  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER    i6i 

structed  sentences,  more  consecutive  thought,  and 
choicer  language.  By  this  method  also  you  will 
gain  practice;  and  without  that,  you  will  never 
attain  efficiency.  An  eminent  authority  says: 
"If  it  be  true  that  the  'only  way  to  learn  to 
preach  is  to  preach,'  it  is  still  more  emphatically 
true  that  the  only  way  to  learn  to  pray  is  to 
pray."  With  increasing  ability  will  come  also 
increasing  joy  in  the  exercise.  .  Then,  also,  em- 
brace every  opportunity  afforded  for  participating 
in  public  prayer.  There  is  a  difference  between 
praying  alone  and  in  public,  and  the  latter 
"trial"  must  be  met  until  trepidation  changes  to 
real  pleasure. 

Further,  read  and  meditate  upon  model  prayers. 
The  model  prayer  dictated  expressly  for  that  pur- 
pose and  forever  the  standard  is  the  Lord's 
Prayer.  But  in  addition  to  Scriptural  prayers 
there  have  come  down  to  us  a  rich  legacy  from 
saints  of  other  days — recorded  prayers  revealing 
their  aspirations,  penitence,  love  and  devotion. 
To  study  these  is  to  partake  of  their  spirit,  to 
think  their  thoughts,  and  to  share  their  holy  emo- 
tion. A  classified  collection  of  prayers  is  pro- 
vided for  the  student's  use  in  this  volume.  Where 
reference  is  made  to  prayer-examples,  he  is 
recommended  to  examine  the  "example"  referred 
to,  and  master  the  principles  therein  set  forth. 
But,  at  any  time,  to  read  such  prayers  as  are 
here  given  or  may  elsewhere  be  found,  is  a  most 
excellent  practice.      Men    need  soul    culture    as 


i62  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

well  as  mental  training;  by  combining  these,  the 
highest  exercise  of  both  is  attained.  Moreover, 
the  practice  just  recommended  of  familiarizing 
yourself  with  devotional  literature  will  help  you 
in  acquiring  another  highly  desirable  qualification 
for  the  office  of  prayer,  namely,  command  of 
appropriate  language.  The  standard  of  excel- 
lence in  prayer-expression  is  the  Psalms, — the 
very  thesaurus  of  devotional  terms.  The  lan- 
guage of  prayer  when  at  its  best  will  always  be 
largely  Scriptural,  but  not  exclusively  so.  Let 
your  prayers  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  the  day 
in  which  they  are  born.  In  thought  and  in 
phraseology  they  should  belong  to  their  age  and 
represent  its  highest  excellence.  The  following 
quotation  from  Dr.  Broadus  states  what  prayer- 
language  should  and  should  not  be:  "The  lan- 
guage of  prayer  must,  of  course,  be  grammatical 
and  free  from  all  vulgarisms  and  oddities.  It 
should  be  thoroughly  simple,  not  low  and  coarse, 
but  not  learned  and  inflated.  We  must  avoid 
elaborateness  and  prettiness,  which  is  extremely 
offensive  to  good  taste  and  painful  to  truly  devout 
feeling,  but  must  not  avoid,  when  deeply  affected, 
the  natural  language  of  emotion,  which  is  apt  to 
be  figurative  and  sometimes  very  highly  figura- 
tive. Where  this  is  really  natural,  it  will  never 
strike  one  as  finery." 

Grace  and  elegance  of  expression  depend  so 
largely  upon  the  possession  of  a  rich  vocabulary 
that  your   training    may    be    more    effective    if 


TRAINING  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER    163 

we  indicate  how  one's  vocabulary  can  best  be  en- 
larged. 

A  choice  and  discriminative  use  of  words 
results  from  clear  thinking,  and  the  observation 
of  shades  of  difference  between  kindred  words 
and  phrases.  As  soon  as  the  distinction  between 
words  of  similar  import  is  brought  definitely 
before  the  mind,  both  words  become  more  useful 
to  us,  and  will  never  become  mixed  or  confused 
again.  Each  comes  forward  at  the  right  moment 
to  do  duty  in  its  appropriate  place.  For  exam- 
ple, to  "comprehend"  is  to  have  a  complete  and 
exhaustive  knowledge,  while  the  word  "appre- 
hend" implies  "to  perceive"  without  denoting 
complete  knowledge.  Man  apprehends  God — 
although  the  finite  cannot  comprehend  Him. 
Once  the  distinction  is  seized  the  error  of  using 
"comprehend"  where  we  mean  only  "apprehend" 
will  never  be  made.  It  will  pay  well  to  ponder 
the  following  instructive  reference  to  this  subject 
by  Professor  Vinet: 

"Whence  the  poverty  of  our  vocabulary?  Is  it 
from  unacquaintance  with  our  tongue?  No;  but 
we  are  not  accustomed  to  distinguish  between 
words  of  a  similar  signification,  that  is  to  say, 
words  which  express  the  same  general  idea  in  a 
particular  shade  of  meaning.  From  not  noting 
carefully  the  shades  of  meaning,  we  use  for  each 
of  them  either  the  generic  term  which  embraces 
them  all,  or  a  special  term  taken  at  hazard.  This 
word  rather  than  the  others  almost  always  recurs, 


i64  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

the  others  remain  unused;  our  vocabulary  is  con- 
tracted, our  language  is  poor.  Attention  given 
to  propriety  of  expression  will  contribute  not 
only  to  the  perspicuity  and  force  of  our  speech, 
but  will  add  richness  and  beauty  to  our  language." 

It  will  be  found  most  helpful  to  examine  the 
synonyms  of  the  chief  terms  used  in  worship. 
Merely  to  read  them  over  is  instructive.  Take  the 
word  "pray";  which  some  repeat  over  and  over 
again  in  devotion,  whereas  many  kindred  terms  are 
available,  the  use  of  which  would  be  more  expres- 
sive and  graceful,  and  exhibit  much  richer 
thought.  Look  at  this  partial  list:  We  pray,  beg, 
ask,  petition,  request,  solicit;  we  entreat,  be- 
seech, supplicate,  implore,  invocate;  we  cry, 
crave,  hunger,  thirst,  long  for,  etc.  A  similar 
list  of  synonyms  for  "give"  might  be  cited,  such 
as  grant,  bestow,  confer,  impart,  etc.  But  a  hint 
is  enough.  A  few  hours  devoted  to  this  exercise 
early  in  life  will  enrich  a  man's  entire  subsequent 
ministry.  Especial  care  should  be  given  to  the 
significance  and  use  of  the  different  names  and 
various  attributes  of  the  Deity.  Some  there  are 
who  use  but  few  names  of  God,  of  Christ,  and  of 
the  Spirit,  and  apply  even  these  inappropriately, 
whereas  appropriate  reference  to  the  various 
attributes  of  the  Eternal  calls  forth  from  the  heart 
of  the  worshipper  different  emotions. 

We  regard  with  awe  the  Omnipotence  of  the 
infinite  and  unsearchable  and  invisible  God, 
eternal  and  immutable,  the  Creator,  who  is  King 


TRAINING  FOR  PUBLIC  PRAYER    165 

of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  We  rejoice  in  His 
love  and  justice,  His  mercy  and  long-suffering 
compassion,  and  it  elicits  our  affection  and  grati- 
tude to  call  Him  our  Father,  our  Preserver,  "the 
Giver  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift,"  etc. 

And  so  of  the  Son,  He  is  named  Jesus,  Saviour, 
the  Christ,  and  Lord,  Immanuel,  Redeemer, 
Revealer,  the  Light  of  the  World,  our  Elder 
Brother,  the  Friend  that  sticketh  closer  than  a 
brother,  the  Good  Shepherd,  our  ever-living 
Intercessor,  etc. 

Any  exercise,  or  meditation,  which  results  in 
developing  our  appreciation  of  the  diversity  and 
wealth  of  significance  in  the  variety  of  the  divine 
names  or  the  varied  offices  of  the  Triune  God, 
will  enrich  both  our  experience  and  our  devo- 
tions. Further,  take  steps  to  protect  yourself 
from  falling  into  common  faults.  The  worst  of 
these,  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  insidious,  is 
"ruts" — (i)  following  the  same  line  of  thought, 
and  (2)  using  identical  language  for  expressing 
the  same  recurring  desires. 

The  best  protection  against  the  former  is 
acquaintance  with  prayer-architecture.  {Vide 
Architecture  of  Prayer,  Chap.  VIII.)  Make  maps 
or  outlines  for  public  prayers.  This  practice  is 
recommended  merely  as  provisional  help  for  the 
novice  who  may  soon  outgrow  their  use,  but 
occasional  exercise  in  the  writing  of  prayers — not 
to  be  read  in  public,  but  for  the  sake  of  training — 
will  be  found  beneficial. 


i66  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

To  protect  yourself  against  the  second  order  of 
ruts  nothing  is  better  than  vigilance  and  a  grow- 
ing vocabulary. 

Training  is  a  stimulation  of  nature's  processes. 
It  conquers  evil  habit  by  development  along  the 
line  of  nature's  intention.  Training  is  conscious 
and  deliberate  evolution  by  means  of  which  the 
potential  in  man  is  made  actual.  It  presupposes 
the  possession  of  native  gifts  and  powers,  which 
may  indeed  lie  latent,  or  by  misuse  become  dis- 
torted; but  in  place  of  such  misfortune,  training 
brings  to  light  unknown  capacities  and  makes  the 
most  of  them.  In  this  process  man  need  not 
work  alone;  he  cannot,  dare  not,  work  alone. 
The  only  teacher  of  prayer  is  our  Saviour;  and 
the  only  school  is  experience.  The  only  power 
by  which  we  can  breathe  prayer  is  that  which  is 
first  inbreathed  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

TEACHING  PRAYER 

Every  parent  bears  responsibility  for  imparting 
to  his  or  her  child  some  conception  of  God,  or 
rather  of  developing  and  perfecting  the  innate 
conceptions  of  childhood.  That  these  should  be 
true,  goes  without  saying.  Too  little  is  it  real- 
ized to  what  an  extent  human  beings  are  governed 
by  conceptions.  These  are  the  fundamental  springs 
of  action.  Often  they  lie  for  years  unexamined 
and  unjustified.  Not  rarely,  indeed,  do  they  con- 
stitute the  unconscious  background  for  a  course  of 
action  held  sacred  because  of  wholly  inexplicable 
sanctions  implanted  in  childhood.  Oh,  the  prej- 
udices and  hates  that  mar  men's  lives  because  of 
errors  in  parental  judgment,  or  foolish  outbursts 
of  passion  in  the  presence  of  a  child!  Unholy 
seed  dropped  in  the  passionate  heart  of  a  youth 
grows  and  may  long  grow,  without  examination. 
Oh,  what  battles  we  have  to  fight  with  these 
demons  of  the  soul,  and  how  often  even  after  we 
become  conscious  that  we  are  victims  of  prejudice 
do  we  find  it  difficult  to  rid  ourselves  of  their  evil 
influence!  On  the  other  hand,  what  noble  native 
support  is  embodied  in  the  life  of  that  man  who 
finds  his  fundamental  conceptions  of  God,  and 
man,  and  the  world,  capable  of  justification  at  the 

167 


i68  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

bar  of  his  riper  judgment.  Such  an  individual  is 
equipped  with  native  strength  foreign  to  the  man 
whose  mental  life  has  from  youth  been  deformed 
by  misconception  and  prejudice.  What  higher 
office  can  a  parent  perform  for  his  child  than  to 
give  him  a  true  conception  of  God  and  of  truth? 
His  future  even  unto  eternity  depends  to  no  small 
extent  on  this  matter. 

Upon  mothers  generally  falls  the  task  of  teach- 
ing children  to  pray.  Graciously  has  God  en- 
dowed motherhood  with  heart  -  power  and 
spirituality,  conceded  generally  to  be  superior  to 
those  of  the  opposite  sex.  Her  nearness  to  her 
child  enables  her  to  mould  its  life  as  no  other 
force  can  do.  We  have  nothing  but  approval  for 
the  teaching  of  those  little  prayers,  sacred  with 
age  and  long  use,  which  we  all  learned  at  a 
mother's  knee.  Especially  should  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  the  23d  Psalm  be  early  employed; 
but  we  have  no  desire  to  treat  this  theme  here 
further  than  to  enjoin,  do  not  permit  on  the  one 
hand  the  levity  that  "plays"  at  prayer.  On  the 
other  extreme,  do  not  allow  a  false  and  severe 
gravity  to  mark  worship,  for  children  may  be 
made  afraid  of  God — to  their  irreparable  damage. 

Pastors,  too,  are  under  obligations  to  teach 
prayer,  and  by  implication,  of  course,  to  teach 
their  people  how  to  teach  it  also.  This  they 
constantly  are  doing  by  example;  therefore,  let 
the  example  be  of  a  high  order;  and  beyond  this, 
as  your  young  people  assume  vows  of  loyalty  to 


TEACHING  PRAYER  169 

Christ  and  make  a  public  profession  of  their  faith, 
endeavor  to  bring  them  into  training  for  Chris- 
tian service.  Already  various  societies  organized 
among  the  young  have  accomplished  much  in  this 
regard,  but  work  of  this  nature  never  ends. 

How  should  a  pastor  approach  the  task  of 
teaching  the  youth  of  his  congregation  to  take 
audible  part  in  prayer?  In  addition  to  enlisting 
the  intelligent  co-operation  of  parents,  let  him 
solicit  the  aid  of  Sunday  school  teachers.  It  is 
an  excellent  plan  for  the  teacher  of  each  class  to 
spend  a  moment  or  two  in  prayer  at  the  com- 
mencement or  at  the  close  of  the  lesson.  With 
all  heads  bowed,  let  the  teacher  first,  and  then 
each  pupil,  utter  a  short  prayer — it  may  be  but  a 
sentence,  but  let  it  be  original — the  child's  own 
thought,  clothed  in  his  own  language.  Classes 
there  are  where  this  procedure  would  be  unwise. 
Teachers  there  are  wholly  unfit  to  assume  this 
responsibility;  but  pastor  and  teacher,  or  super- 
intendent and  teacher,  must  decide  matters  of 
this  nature.  Personal  attention  is  always  neces- 
sary to  matters  of  such  moment.  Next,  "sen- 
tence prayers,"  as  practiced  in  young  people's 
societies,  make  an  easy  and  helpful  beginning. 
Much  has  already  been  done  when  a  youth 
"breaks  the  ice"  by  beginning.  There  is  certain 
improvement  before  the  youth  who  once  makes 
the  effort.  A  nervous  person  can  sometimes  be 
induced  to  quote  a  passage  of  Scripture  who 
would  not  venture  to  formulate  a  prayer  of  his 


I70  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

own.  In  a  case  of  that  kind  real  aid  may  be 
given  by  indicating  passages  appropriate  for 
utterance  as  a  complete  prayer.  It  is  wonderful 
what  delicacy  must  be  exercised  in  the  case  of 
nervous  beginners. 

Another  educative  expedient  is  responsive 
prayer,  where  the  pastor  or  leader  is  followed, 
sentence  by  sentence,  audibly  by  the  society.  It 
will  be  found  helpful  also  to  repeat  audibly  in 
concert  passages  of  Scripture.  Members  become 
accustomed  to  hearing  their  own  voice,  and  find 
it  afterwards  easier  to  venture  alone. 

A  practice  of  real  value  to  Sunday  school  or 
Christian  Endeavor  societies  also  is  concert  re- 
sponse to  the  leader's  call  for  passages,  e.  g. : 

Leader— "What  is  John  3:  16?" 

Sunday  school — "For  God  so  loved  the  world,** 
etc. 

Of  course  only  such  passages  should  be  called 
for  as  the  school  or  society  knows.  This  kind  of 
drill  becomes  very  interesting  when  once  adopted, 
and  may  be  varied  by  the  leader  quoting  Scrip- 
ture verses  or  phrases,  while  the  school  in  re- 
sponse names  chapter  and  verse. 

Now  this  excellent  custom  may  be  made  con- 
tributory to  prayer  -  training,  by  drilling  on 
passages  particularly  suitable  for  devotion.  It  is 
quite  legitimate  for  the  leader  to  indicate  why 
he  chooses  special  verses.  He  may  link  together 
a  line  of  verses  all  bearing  on  a  common  theme, 
so  that  the  quotation  of  one  of  them  shall  suggest 


TEACHING  PRAYER  171 

the  others.  All  Scripture  students  know  the 
value  of  having  a  nucleus  for  a  group  of  proof 
texts. 

But  a  pastor,  like  a  professor,  can  best  help  a 
student  by  private  personal  contact.  Such  aid 
can  carry  only  on  mutual  confidence,  which 
realizes  at  once  the  importance  of  the  object  to 
be  attained,  and  the  solemnity  of  the  duty.  To 
pray  together,  after  a  personal  talk,  and  then  by 
gentle  remarks  on  the  part  of  the  teacher,  and 
candid  questions  on  the  part  of  the  student,  to 
feel  the  way  nearer  to  excellence  and  nearer  to 
God,  does  more  than  educate  the  student.  Such 
an  experience  links  two  lives  with  almost  paren- 
tal love. 

Where  classes  can  be  organized  for  training  in 
prayer  general  rules  are  applicable,  but  in  indi- 
vidual work  each  case  is  specific  and  must  be 
dealt  with  in  its  own  peculiar  way.  Both  plans 
may  be  adopted  simultaneously. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

THE  ALTAR  IN  THE  HOME 

The  home  is  commonly,  and  rightly,  recog- 
nized as  the  citadel  of  the  state.  In  the  purity  of 
one  is  found  the  strength  of  the  other.  With  the 
decay  of  the  one  comes  the  decline  of  the  other. 
They  stand  or  fall  together.  The  home,  the 
church,  and  the  school  represent  stages  in  the 
development  of  society.  Out  of  the  first  arose 
the  second  and  third.  As  a  permanent  condition 
also  divinely  reposed  in  the  constitution  of  the 
family,  the  home  precedes  church  and  school. 
Neither  the  splendid  development  of  educational 
systems,  nor  the  prestige  of  the  church  which 
tends  to  eclipse  the  home,  can  displace  it  as  the 
primary  factor  in  the  making  of  character.  Upon 
home  influences  depend  to  a  great  extent  the 
subsequent  success  of  both  church  and  school. 
That  the  relation  between  church  and  home  are 
relations  of  mutual  dependence  is  clearly  per- 
ceived, however,  in  the  influence  exerted  by  the 
former  upon  the  parents.  But  in  some  respects 
the  church  depends  more  on  the  home  than  the 
home  on  the  church.  Religious  foundations  are 
laid  in  earliest  life.  No  altar  is  holier  than  the 
knee  of  a  pious  mother.  "Train  up  a  child  in  the 
way  he  should  go  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not 

172 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE   HOME         173 

depart  from  it."  If  the  springs  of  life  are  kept 
pure  the  stream  will  flow  clear.  From  a  pure 
home  youth  enters  the  church  to  be  its  strength; 
from  irreligious  or  non-religious  homes  come  a 
progeny  which  need  the  strength  of  the  church. 
One  has  a  life  that  is  "upward  tending,"  the 
other  a  tendency  to  fall.  As  a  matter  of  history, 
too,  home-worship  preceded  public  worship.  In 
patriarchal  times  the  center  of  worship  was  the 
home;  and  the  head  of  the  household  was  the 
priest,  and  minister  in  holy  things.  The  story  of 
Job  has  its  setting  in  this  stage  of  religious  de- 
velopment. When  his  children  were  feasting, 
"Job  sent  and  sanctified  them,  and  rose  up  early 
in  the  morning  and  offered  burnt  offerings  accord- 
ing to  the  number  of  them  all;  for  Job  said:  It 
may  be  that  my  sons  have  sinned  and  renounced 
God  in  their  hearts.     Thus  did  Job  continually" 

Oobi:5). 

We  read  also  that,  "God  spake  unto  Noah  and 
to  his  sons  with  him."  Again,  Abraham  received 
a  special  call  and  blessing  in  which  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth  are  to  be  blessed,  for  Jehovah  said: 
"I  have  known  him,  to  the  end  that  he  may  com- 
mand his  children  and  his  household  after  him, 
that  they  may  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do 
justice  and  judgment,"  etc.  (Gen.  18:  19).  Here 
is  the  charter  for  domestic  worship.  Not  only 
was  the  home  a  religious  center,  but  it  is  destined 
so  to  be  kept.  God's  revelation  of  Himself  to  the 
father  of  the  faithful  is  declared  to  be  "to  the  end 


174  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

that  he  may  command  his  children  and  his  house- 
hold after  him,  that  they  may  keep  the  way  of 
the  Lord."  The  charter  was  repeated  and  ampli- 
fied by  Moses  and  impressed  upon  all  God's  Israel 
(Deut.  6:  3-9). 

Parental  authority  is  properly  exercised,  there- 
fore, in  the  institution  of  the  home  altar;  and  it 
follows  also  that  the  altar  stands  as  the  symbol 
and  recognition  of  another  authority.  He  who 
has  no  authority  in  the  home  higher  than  his  own 
assumes  an  awful  responsibility.  The  day  may 
come  when  that  will  break.  But  when  father 
and  child  bow  at  the  same  throne,  that  act  in- 
stills a  reverence  and  regard  in  which  the  parent 
shares,  and  a  true  conception  is  inculcated  of  both 
parental  and  divine  authority.  Where  parents 
recognize  God,  the  children  usually  do  so — and  in 
about  the  same  manner.  Childhood  is  always 
religious.  If  youth  be  not,  it  is  because  some 
good  thing  has  been  frost-bitten  or  famished.  The 
spontaneous  love  of  children  goes  out  for  sym- 
pathy. Their  intuitions  of  God  run  along  the 
line  of  their  affections.  They  are  prepared  to 
love  and  fear  God  if  they  get  encouragement. 
It  is  this  very  proclivity  of  innocent  childhood 
which  makes  it  so  often  true  that  "a  little  child 
shall  lead  them."  How  much  then  is  lost  to  the 
child  whose  religious  promptings  are  hunger-bit- 
ten in  an  irreligious  home.  How  mightily  the 
strength  by  which  childhood  is  entrenched,  whose 
life  has    been  normal  in  a  home  of  wholesome 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE    HOME         175 

piety!  Parentage  is  a  solemn  responsibility. 
Much  more  upon  the  example  of  parents  than 
upon  their  precepts  depends  the  destiny  of  the 
child.  At  the  fireside  character  is  shaping  for 
eternity  and,  it  is  feared,  much  of  the  actual 
shaping  has  not  God's  approval,  has  not  even  the 
sanction  of  human  conscience.  Every  prompting 
of  the  parental  heart  towards  the  welfare  of  the 
child  is  an  argument  in  favor  of  erecting  the  altar 
in  the  home.  He  is  more  God's  child  than  yours. 
Only  secondarily  and  by  permission  are  you  his 
parent.  Though  your  authority  may  fail  he  has 
still  to  deal  with  God,  and  it  is  your  place  not 
only  to  instill  this  knowledge,  but  so  to  do  it  that 
his  acquaintance  with  God  shall  be  beautiful;  a 
friendship — not  a  terror;  a  true  acquaintance — 
not  a  distortion.  Children  are  born  in  the  home 
to  be  brought  up  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord." 

As  of  old,  parents  are  expected  to  bring  their 
children  to  Jesus  that  He  may  bless  them. 
There  is  a  reason  why  our  Saviour  wants  a  place 
in  every  family.  In  the  home  are  cast  those 
lines  of  destiny  from  which  a  child  can  never 
escape.  By  constituting  the  family  as  He  has, 
God  has  built  the  altar  into  the  structure  of 
the  home.  It  is  there  in  the  divine  intention. 
If  it  be  not  actually  "erected"  it  is  because  a 
divine  institution  is  rejected.  And  its  neglect 
exposes  one  to  the  admonition  of  conscience  and 
the   leanness  of  disobedience,     As   truly  as   the 


176  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

individual  intuitively  communes  with  God,  and 
instinctively  loves  his  child,  and  intelligently 
desires  its  highest  welfare,  just  so  surely  is  fam- 
ily worship  a  divine  means  provided  to  help 
fathers  and  mothers  to  a  worthy  discharge  of  the 
solemn  duties  of  parentage.  It  is  not  enough  to 
pray  for  the  children,  it  is  necessary  to  pray  with 
them.  Where  religious  duties  are  shared  by  par- 
ents and  children,  both  are  led  to  truer  life  and 
higher  blessing. 

INFLUENCES    OF   DOMESTIC   WORSHIP 

Of  course  religion  in  the  home  is  not  confined 
to  the  particular  service  now  under  attention. 
Children  gain  conceptions  of  God  and  religion, 
of  life  and  duty,  from  the  parental  regard  for  the 
Scriptures,  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  attitude 
towards  the  church;  from  their  general  bearing 
and  manner  of  imposing  discipline.  All  these 
things  tell  powerfully  on  a  child's  notion  of 
invisible  and  eternal  verities.  One  of  the  most 
potent  spells  ever  cast  upon  the  impressible  na- 
ture of  a  child  is  that  which  comes  through  a 
mother's  prayers,  and  early  teaching  of  prayer. 
This  is  altogether  unique.  Another  good  reli- 
gious influence  resides  in  the  custom  of  asking 
grace  at  table.  Where  this  is  reverently  and 
wisely  done  it  exerts  a  power,  none  the  less 
because  not  easily  traced.  Whatsoever  fosters 
true  conceptions  of  God  and  our  relation  to  Him, 
has  real  spiritual  worth.  How  carefully,  then, 
even  the  simplest  religious  act  should  be  done! 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE    HOME         177 

But  nothing  can  take  the  place  of  that  institution 
which  is  distinctively  called  family  prayer — an 
institution  which  holds  its  place  from  infancy  to 
age,  through  all  the  varied  stages  of  life  with- 
out losing  its  peculiar  helpfulness. 

To  all  who  take  part  in  it,  peculiar  benefits 
accrue. 

To  parents.  On  account  of  the  difHculties  that 
face  members  of  the  family,  and  dangers  that 
threaten,  especially  the  children,  because  of  the 
foes  unseen  and  events  unknown,  which  menace 
the  home,  the  business,  and  life  itself,  it  is  a  good 
thing  for  the  household  in  the  morning  to  take  an 
outlook  over  the  day.  To  the  parent  this  is 
peculiarly  helpful,  since  he  does  it  in  the  light  of 
interests,  not  simply  his  own,  but  theirs  also. 
Then  this  is  done  under  the  best  circumstances 
and  in  the  best  frame  of  mind  to  see  things  in 
their  perspective  and  to  realize  their  real  worth. 
God  is  invited  into  that  day's  operations,  and  all 
are  committed  to  Him  for  safety — an  impressive 
thing  for  both  parent  and  child.  The  evening 
prayer  is  a  solemn  review  of  the  day  and  its 
doings,  in  the  best  mood  to  appreciate  its  mer- 
cies, to  correct  its  wrongs,  to  ask  forgiveness  for 
its  sin  and  to  seek  grace  and  counsel  for  the  day 
to  come.  Again,  the  parent  who  prays  with  his 
household,  reinforces  the  strength  of  his  position 
as  head  of  the  house.  All  who  have  had  very 
pious  parents  attest  the  sanctity  which  crept  into 
their  conception  of  father  or  mother  while  listen- 


178  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

ing  to  their  communion  with  God.  Christian 
biography  is  full  of  examples. 

Further,  prayer  with  the  family  makes  the 
exercise  of  discipline  easier.  It  imparts  a  good 
influence  all  round.  It  removes  the  ragged  edge 
of  anger;  gives  chastisement  a  new  sanction,  and 
correction  more  tenderness. 

Better  still,  by  conducting  devotions  with  his 
whole  household  the  parent  places  himself  under 
wholesome  restraint,  and  fortifies  himself  against 
slips  and  misdemeanors  which  would  rob  him  of 
his  influence.  When  he  openly  places  himself  in 
divine  relations  his  sense  of  consistency  moves 
within,  and  the  eternal  fitness  of  things  hedge 
him  without.  He  has  put  himself  where  he  is 
forced  to  be  what  he  ought  to  be;  a  daring  and  noble 
thing  to  do.  Furthermore,  he  has  not  sacrificed 
himself  by  a  small  weakness  at  the  point  where  a 
little  strength  can  effect  more,  and  bring  richer 
returns  than  anywhere  else  in  the  world.  The 
family  altar  is  a  parent's  throne,  regal  with  the 
royalty  of  the  Higher  Presence  associated  with 
him  there. 

To  children.  By  giving  "Our  Father  which  is 
in  Heaven"  the  crowning  position  in  the  home, 
the  children  gain  true  conceptions  of  Him  and 
their  universal  obligations  to  Him.  So  also  their 
views  of  life,  of  men  and  things,  are  corrected 
and  adjusted.  Through  your  prayer  they  learn 
your  relation  to  impending  events,  joyous  or  sad, 
and  take  on  your  feelings.     Your  gratitude  enters 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE   HOME         179 

their  thought;  your  anxiety  lodges  in  their  mind, 
your  solicitude  for  them  kindles  their  sympathy. 
Your  tenderness  towards  the  sick  and  bereaved, 
the  tempted  and  tried,  the  lost  and  sinful,  and 
your  importunity  for  salvation,  tell  upon  them. 
Unconsciously  they  will  adopt  your  sentiments. 
Moreover,  at  the  family  altar  you  have  the  op- 
portunity of  communion  with  God  about  matters 
in  such  a  way  that  they  learn  in  a  sacred  atmos- 
phere what  you  could  not  so  well  tell  them 
directly.     There  is  an  immense  leverage  there. 

Then  the  fact  that  your  son,  or  daughter,  or  em- 
ployes, learn  through  prayer  that  you  feel  deeply 
about  a  matter  opens  the  way  for  direct  discussion 
of  it  later.  They  have  learned  three  things  about 
it:  (i)  That  it  is  important;  (2)  the  direction  of 
your  thought  about  it;  and  (3)  that  you  are  anx- 
ious to  be  right  and  to  act  wisely  in  the  circum- 
stances. In  other  words,  prayer  together  opens 
the  way  for  rational,  sympathetic  and  prayerful 
counsel  together  about  the  same  thing. 

Again,  domestic  devotions  exert  a  kindly  influ- 
ence upon  the  heart  life  of  the  household.  Your 
love  is  cultivated  by  the  expression  it  gets  at  the 
altar,  and  your  child's  love  grows  in  that  sun- 
shine. In  short,  their  practical  and  emotional 
life  is  defended  and  developed,  and  that  in  such 
a  way  as  to  link  together  all  the  household  in 
fuller  sympathy  and  holier  affection. 

Friends  and  domestics.  But  in  many  homes 
there  are  relatives,  visitors,   employes,  etc.,   and 


i8o  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

these  all  share  in  the  benefits  of  worship.  Their 
presence  gives  devotion  a  special  cast,  and  it  is  in 
this  special  way  that  peculiar  benefits  result.  Old 
age  is  a  benediction  when  held  in  deference. 
Such  regard  breeds  more  good  in  a  young  life 
than  the  kindness  of  youth  can  confer  upon  age. 
And  the  lambs  of  the  fold  must  not  be  forgotten, 
nor  the  stranger  that  is  within  thy  gates.  The 
whole  household  should  worship  together  since 
they  must  live  and  labor  in  domestic  relations; 
and  these  should  be  relations  of  peace,  harmony 
and  mutual  regard — all  of  which  are  sanctified  by 
prayer.  Furthermore,  it  is  to  be  observed  that 
all  these  benefits  attach  to  domestic  worship  apart 
from  the  supremest  blessing,  namely,  actual,  per- 
sonal communion  with  God,  and  the  answers 
divinely  sent  in  response  to  the  soul-hunger.  But 
further  still,  besides  prayer,  family  devotions  in- 
clude also  the  reading  of  Scripture;  and  one  of 
the  richest  increments  of  profit  is  the  increased 
knowledge  of  God's  Word.  As  a  fortification  of 
life,  as  an  inspiration  in  human  struggle,  as  a 
guide  in  earth's  pilgrimage,  the  knowledge  of  the 
Word  of  Life  is  inestimable.  And  what  a  host  of 
the  white-robed  throng  owe  their  redemption, 
humanly  speaking,  to  influence  brought  to  bear 
upon  them  at  the  family  altar!  As  a  place  to 
meet  God  there  is  no  place  like  home. 

DIFFICULTIES   AND    EXCUSES 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  notwithstanding  the  divine 
warrant  for  family  worship  and  the  incalculable 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE    HOME         i8i 

benefits  attending  it,  still  this  holy  institution 
seems  to  be  losing  its  grip  on  the  Christian  com- 
munity. Many  causes  are  assigned  for  its  decay. 
But  whatsoever  influences  conspire  to  reduce  its 
power  must  be  ranked  as  baneful.  Nothing  can 
take  its  place;  the  best  substitutes  are  far  inferior. 
God  has  invested  the  parental  relation  with 
unique  sanctity,  with  original  love,  and  singular 
influence  for  good,  which  if  not  exercised  on  the 
child's  behalf  the  child  must  remain  eternally 
poorer. 

However,  it  would  be  unfair  to  ignore  the  fact 
that  there  are  many  practical  difficulties  to  face 
in  instituting  the  altar  in  some  homes.  Only  an 
intelligent  and  sympathetic  appreciation  of  these 
facts  will  enable  a  pastor  effectively  to  meet  cer- 
tain excuses  presented  for  neglecting  domestic 
worship.  Even  to  ourselves  we  need  to  be  hon- 
est, so  that  the  amount  of  time,  the  nature  of  the 
service,  its  frequency,  etc.,  shall  be  the  best  in 
the  circumstances;  and  not  that  all  shall  be  lost 
because  perfect  regularity  and  a  certain  ideal  are 
impossible  of  attainment.  Many  cases  will  be  so 
peculiar  that  no  general  advice  can  be  of  much 
avail.  Prayer  and  counsel  in  the  home,  planning 
and  co-operation  will  be  needed  to  evolve  the  best 
method.  But  where  two  Christian  people  live 
together  some  plan  can,  almost  without  excep- 
tion, be  found  for  worship  in  consort.  The  best 
time  to  begin  is  when  the  home  is  planted — at 
marriage.     If  only  one  is  a  Christian,  that  one, 


i82  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

even  though  it  be  the  wife,  should  endeavor  to 
have  God  recognized  in  the  home  by  Scripture 
reading  and  prayer.  It  may  tax  his  or  her  cour- 
age, but  it  will  be  easier  to  start  then  than  later — 
unless  some  great  catastrophe  or  dispensation  of 
Providence  should  prepare  an  unexpected  way 
for  it. 

Excuses.  Humanity  is  prone  to  excuses. 
Many  believers  who  really  would  like  to  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  Christ,  will,  just  through  coward- 
ice, warp  the  living  truth  and  bevel  the  edge  of 
duty,  if  they  can  find  refuge  in  an  excuse, — a 
habit  thoroughly  pernicious.  We  cannot  deceive 
God,  and  to  deceive  self  is  folly,  and  may  be 
death.  In  other  words,  excuses  are  not  allow- 
able— only  explanations  are  valid. 

"I  have  no  time."  Lack  of  time  is  a  valid 
reason  for  omitting  household  prayer  in  certain 
exceptional  circumstances,  but  is  no  reason  for 
not  establishing  it  as  the  custom;  for  other  men 
as  busy  as  you  actually  have  the  altar.  Again,  if 
you  really  have  important  and  pressing  business, 
you  of  all  men  ought  to  seek  the  guidance  and 
help  of  God.  His  blessing  maketh  rich  and  add- 
eth  no  sorrow;  but  without  it  all  your  endeavors 
will  prove  fruitless. 

Another  question  is  in  order:  Have  you  any 
business  of  greater  importance  than  the  eternal 
interests  of  your  family,  and  your  own  growth  in 
grace?  Is  it  not  true  that  the  real  cause  of  our 
neglect  is  oftener  not  because  we  are  so  busy,  but 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE   HOME         183 

because  we  are  extremely  idle?  To  have  time  for 
the  morning  paper,  pipe,  or  stroll,  and  not  for 
worship,  is  a  condemning  circumstance.  To  Him 
whose  time  we  are  spending,  and  who  knows  the 
heart  of  the  whole  matter,  to  Him  we  stand  or 
fall;  He  is  the  God  we  worship,  and  to  Him  we 
owe  every  good  and  perfect  gift.  Twenty-four 
hours  every  day  for  labor,  rest  and  enjoyment; 
and  not  five  minutes,  ten  minutes,  fifteen  min- 
utes, for  worship?  You  do  not  mean  it;  it  is  not 
true. 

"I  am  too  timid."  Too  little  sympathy  is  felt 
for  nervous  people  by  those  who  are  constitu- 
tionally strong.  Under  many  circumstances  the 
introduction  of  family  worship  into  a  home  is  a 
trial,  and  to  timid  people  a  great  trial.  There 
may  be  cases  indeed  where  this  infirmity  may  be  a 
valid  bar  to  the  ordinance — but  these  will  be  few. 
Even  timid  people  love  and  marry  and  in  life's 
fierce  struggle  play  a  noble  part.  The  same 
courage  would  stand  them  also  in  this  circum- 
stance. Grace  also  will  be  provided  for  difficult 
duties.  Bravely  therefore  make  the  attempt  and 
learn  that,  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee." 
"As  thy  day,  so  shall  thy  strength  be."  No  one 
so  needs  supernatural  help  as  the  man  who  feels 
his  own  feebleness  in  the  face  of  the  world.  To 
such  an  one  the  altar  is  an  especial  need.  "Yes, 
but  what  about  failure?"  We  reply,  early  failure 
may  be  fruitful  of  much  good.  If  you  break 
down  in  your  first  attempts,  two  things  will  be 


i84  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

apparent:  first,  the  cause  of  your  failure;  and, 
second,  the  manliness  which  overcomes  it.  If 
your  heart  be  right,  everything  else  will  come  out 
right,  and  your  place  in  the  esteem  of  your  fellow 
worshippers  will  be  enhanced.  They  know  what  it 
is  to  be  nervous,  and  they  know  how  to  respect 
the  man  who  does  the  right  thing  bravely. 

"I  have  not  the  ability."  Once  again  we  have 
to  recognize  that  men  are  differently  endowed, 
that  the  office  is  much  more  difficult  for  some 
than  for  others,  and  that  in  some  cases,  possibly, 
men  are  unequal  to  the  duty.  Again,  however, 
this  class  must  constitute  the  exception,  not  the 
rule.  Only  a  few  can  urge  this  honorably  as  a 
deterrent.  Prayer  is  not  an  exceptional  but  a 
universal  gift.  Speech  is  an  almost  universal  en- 
dowment, and  where  a  heart  has  been  touched 
into  new  life  by  the  baptism  of  the  spirit,  vocal 
prayer  comes  within  the  range  of  attainment,  to 
any  man  who  wants  it,  and  is  willing  to  pay  the 
cost.  Like  the  timid  man,  the  man  "slow  of 
speech"  manages  to  talk  with  his  family  about 
domestic  affairs  and  to  men  outside  about  busi- 
ness; proof  that  he  can,  after  some  fashion,  con- 
duct devotions  if  he  sets  himself  to  it.  More, 
men  who  are  not  your  equal  in  mental  or  vocal 
endowments  do  it  every  day.  And  if  you  but 
undertake  it,  experience  will  soon  make  your 
service  acceptable.  Whereas  in  the  meantime 
you  are  under  the  finest  discipline.  Not  only 
preparation    for    future   church    work,    but    also 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE    HOME         185 

ability  to  think  orderly  and  give  expression  to 
thought  on  secular  subjects  will  result  from  this 
beginning.  A  man  can  do  more  when  he  puts 
himself  under  the  Spirit,  than  in  any  other  way. 
But  prayer  is  not  recommended  merely  for  its 
educational  value,  but  for  the  stability  of  the 
home  and  the  precious  treasures  opened  thereby. 
No  man  ever  proffers  the  excuse,  "I  am  too 
proud,"  yet  false  vanity,  a  foolish  weakness, 
often  keeps  a  man  from  being  manly  enough  to 
take  a  father's  place  in  his  own  family.  In  the 
sight  of  Omniscience,  how  must  such  a  man 
appear?  What  is  he  in  his  own  eyes?  In  the  eyes 
of  his  friends?  The  root  difficulties  are  perhaps 
never  expressed,  because  if  a  Christian  wills  to 
do  it  he  can.  "Where  there's  a  will,  there's  a 
way,"  and  if  at  first  he  does  not  succeed  he  will 
do  so  by  attempting  again.  The  two  greatest 
hindrances  to  this  duty  are  cowardice  and  incon- 
sistency. If  conscience  can  truly  call  any  man 
"coward"  he's  the  man  who  needs  help.  For  his 
own  sake  he  needs  it,  regardless  of  everything 
else.  And  prayer  is  the  very  channel  to  power. 
The  same  thing  may  be  said  regarding  the  very 
greatest  of  all  obstacles  to  erecting  the  family 
altar,  namely,  consciousness  of  inconsistency 
between  practice  and  profession.  Under  "Bene- 
fits of  Family  Worship"  this  point  has  already 
been  touched,  but  one  point  of  great  moment 
remains  for  mention.  When  a  father  has  con- 
ducted devotions  in  the  morning,  but  has  stumbled 


i86  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

in  the  eyes  of  his  children  or  employes  during  the 
day,  that  constitutes  no  valid  reason  for  discon- 
tinuing the  office.  It  constitutes  the  very  place 
and  opportunity  for  correcting  his  fault  and  forti- 
fying him  against  another  failure.  For  example, 
suppose  an  unseemly  outburst  of  temper  has  been 
the  error.  Your  confession  of  sin  and  earnest 
pleading  for  grace  to  live  worthy  of  the  vocation 
wherewith  you  are  called,  will  reveal  your  peni- 
tence for  your  misdemeanor  and  your  desire  to 
correct  your  failing.  Others  will  understand;  you 
and  your  household  will  think  of  the  same  circum- 
stance, and  the  persons  who  observed  your  mis- 
take will  recognize  your  manliness  in  your  new 
endeavor.  This  needs  no  argument.  You  have 
put  yourself  right  with  men,  in  putting  yourself 
right  with  God.  In  this  and  in  kindred  occur- 
rences, meeting  at  the  throne  in  communion  with 
God  is  the  very  best  means  for  righting  wrong 
and  gaining  power.  All  Christians  are  more  or 
less  inconsistent;  only  the  best  of  them,  however, 
make  their  failures  stepping-stones  to  higher 
things  in  such  a  way  that  they  help  others  up  the 
same  steps.  The  family  altar  enables  a  father  to 
do  that. 

HOW   TO    CONDUCT    DOMESTIC    WORSHIP 

The  question  how  to  conduct  family  devotion 
is  scarcely  as  important  as  how  not  to  conduct  it. 
For  there  are  many  ways  that  are  right  and  good; 
and  but  few  ways  in  which  it  should  not  be  done. 
So  long  as  worship  is  a  delight,  a  refreshment,  or 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE    HOME         187 

even  so  long  as  it  remains  interesting,  it  will  be 
helpful,  and  its  value  will  be  largely  in  propor- 
tion to  the  present  impression  made  upon  the 
worshippers.  But  if  the  service  be  tedious,  and 
tiresome,  either  because  uninteresting  in  its 
nature  or  prolonged  until  weariness  ensues,  a 
grave  danger  threatens,  a  danger  so  serious  that 
it  compels  consideration.  Many  sad  examples 
attest  the  possibility  of  converting  this  naturally 
enjoyable  service  into  an  irksome  duty,  so  dis- 
tasteful as  to  create  a  lasting  dislike  for  worship. 
Especially  is  this  true  where  a  kind  of  severity  is 
exercised  to  compel  unwilling  attendance.  In 
early  life  authority  can  be,  and  ought  to  be, 
exerted  in  this  matter.  Where  the  service  is  not 
made  wearisome  it  will  as  a  rule  hold  its  grip 
through  life;  but  in  cases  where  a  youth  becomes 
restive,  even  when  he  himself  is  wholly  at  fault, 
it  may  be  wise  to  relinquish  compulsion.  In 
such  a  case  a  father  can  hold  his  place  of  rever- 
ence, and  make  it  even  more  sacred,  by  appealing 
to  the  son's  religious  sense.  If  he  fails  for  the 
present,  it  may  be  only  a  passing  failure;  he  still 
holds  his  boy's  regard.  But  if  that  be  lost  at  the 
point  of  a  quarrel,  recovery  is  made  more  diffi- 
cult. The  transition  period,  from  childhood  to 
youth,  from  under-authority  to  shared-responsi- 
bility, is  the  very  time  when  parental  love  must 
hold  filial  affection.  If  that  holy  regard  holds, 
minor  matters  will  right  themselves.  Parents 
and  children  must  remain  good  friends.     What- 


i88  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

ever  else  may  arise  to  test  parental  authority, 
attendance  at  family  worship  should  not,  and  cer- 
tainly will  not,  if  two  faults  be  avoided.  The 
commonest  of  these  is  making  the  service  too 
long.  Children  soon  weary  of  any  occupation  in 
which  they  are  kept  still.  Where  there  are  chil- 
dren, their  presence  should  dictate  brevity.  So 
long  as  their  attention  is  held  they  are  profited. 
When  that  breaks,  further  continuance  will  not 
profit  them;  and  the  altar  is  chiefly  for  their  reli- 
gious development.  Do  not  spoil  the  service  by 
a  fault  so  easily  corrected. 

The  other  serious  fault  is  unnaturalness.  The 
holy  whisper,  the  loud  rant,  the  peculiar  whine, 
the  artificial  gravity  or  sanctimoniousness — any- 
thing that  gives  the  impression  that  the  leader  is 
not  exactly  himself  in  worship — is  injurious. 
Besides,  children  are  apt  to  infer  that  to  be  reli- 
gious they  must  feel  "like  that,"  and  you  cannot 
afford  to  mislead  a  child.  If  the  whole  day  is  to 
be  wholesomely  religious,  the  worship  must  be 
wholesome,  too.  There  is  no  need  of  making  a 
mistake.  One  can  be  as  natural  in  his  reverence 
and  devotion  as  in  his  business  or  pleasure. 

Avoiding  these  two  extremes,  almost  any 
method  will  be  good. 

How  often?  "When  thou  liest  down  and  when 
thou  risest  up"  is  the  language  of  Scripture.  In 
some  homes  once  a  day  is  all  that  seems  very 
well  possible.  Where  the  father's  employment 
takes  him  from  home  before  the  rest  of  the  house- 


THE  ALTAR  IN  THE   HOME         189 

hold  has  arisen,  and  in  certain  cases,  returns  only 
in  the  evening,  the  only  time  when  the  whole 
family  can  assemble  is  at  the  close  of  the  day.  A 
practical  problem  this,  to  be  settled  by  the  nature 
of  the  circumstances.  Where  the  father  is  away 
from  home  all  week,  he  should  not  fail  to  gather 
the  household  at  the  family  altar  on  Sabbath. 
A  single  service  per  week  stands  for  a  good  deal. 

Where?  It  is  well  that  some  one  place  should 
be  recognized  as  the  "altar."  In  time  it  will  take 
on  sacredness.  Where  there  is  time,  and  where 
there  is  talent,  praise  will  add  much  to  the  life 
and  enjoyment  of  family  devotions.  Moreover, 
the  habit  of  song  imports  sunshine  into  a  home. 
Children  love  singing,  and  even  where  little  talent 
be  present,  this  may  become  the  favorite  part  of 
the  worship.  Jesus  and  the  disciples  sang  in  the 
upper  room.  Praise  will  fill  the  Home  above; 
and  for  the  present  it  is  written,  "Let  everything 
that  hath  breath  praise  the  Lord,"  and,  "Whoso 
offereth  praise  glorifieth  me."  If  a  musical 
instrument  be  available,  it  will  improve  this  part 
of  devotions. 

Reading.  In  prayer  we  speak  to  God.  But  in 
the  Scriptures  God  speaks  to  us.  Teach  the  chil- 
dren to  listen  as  to  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  The 
supreme  purpose  is  to  excite  and  maintain  true 
interest  so  that  "worship"  will  become  increas- 
ingly a  joy.  This  dominant  truth  will  determine 
several  problems  in  regard  to  both  reading  and 
prayer.      Since   neither   must    be   too    long   nor 


I90  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

tedious,  do  not  let  the  chapter  divisions  of  our 
English  Bible  govern  the  length  of  the  lesson. 

Reading  the  Bible  through  by  course  is  a  good 
plan.  It  sustains  the  interest,  and  the  whole 
family  know  what  you  are  doing  and  the  place 
of  reading.  Also,  "the  whole  counsel  of  God" 
is  brought  to  bear  upon  them.  But  not  only  must 
long  chapters  be  divided  into  suitable  portions, 
but  where  there  are  children  genealogical  tables 
and  certain  other  chapters  are  to  be  omitted. 
When  they  become  older  they  should  read  these 
for  themselves,  but  now  you  are  winning  their  love 
for  the  Scriptures  and  must  use  the  Word  wisely 
to  that  end. 

Bishop  Bickersteth  recommends  reading  from 
the  Old  Testament  in  the  morning,  and  the  New 
Testament  in  the  evening,  so  as  to  keep  both  con- 
stantly before  the  family.  The  Gospels  and  Old 
Testament  narratives  contain  the  most  fascinating 
reading  for  a  child.  Prophecy  and  Epistles  have 
more  interest  for  maturer  minds.  Some  read 
courses  in  the  parables  and  the  miracles,  while 
others  follow  the  International  Sunday  School 
Lessons.  No  plan  should  be  adhered  to  which 
becomes  tiresome.  On  the  other  hand  some 
intelligent  purpose  should  give  order  and  con- 
secutiveness  in  the  lessons.  To  open  the  Bible 
anywhere  and  read  anything  is  to  sacrifice  the 
interest  that  always  attaches  to  an  intelligible 
process.  Moreover,  every  member  of  the  house- 
hold should  have  a  Bible,  and  take  part  in  the 


THE  ALTAR  IN   THE   HOME         191 

reading.  To  read  a  verse  each  by  turn  may  tax 
some  poor  readers,  but  is  a  good  plan,  To  read 
responsively,  alternate  verses,  is  also  good — any- 
thing to  enlist  the  sympathy  and  deepen  the  im- 
pression upon  the  younger  worshippers. 

Prayer.  Let  the  prayer  be  simple,  direct  and 
short.  It  should  not  attempt  the  wider  scope  of 
a  pulpit  prayer,  which  is  weekly.  It  will  include 
confession  of  sins  so  expressed  as  to  touch  the 
conscience  of  the  children.  It  will  express  per- 
sonal and  family  wants ;  the  interests  of  the  school 
and  business,  etc.  There  will  always  be  interces- 
sion for  friends  and  relatives,  the  sick  and  sor- 
rowing, etc.,  but  only  part  of  the  field  that  lives 
in  our  sympathy  should  be  mentioned  in  any  one 
prayer,  because  our  prayers  should  not  be  too  much 
alike,  and  no  prayer  must  be  long.  Where  no 
peculiar  circumstances  determine  the  nature  of 
your  prayer,  the  tenor  of  the  reading  lessons  may 
well  give  cast  to  your  devotion.  Then  it  will  be 
found  a  good  custom  to  close  each  prayer  with 
the  Lord's  Prayer  in  concert. 

Now,  as  to  exceptions.  It  will  be  necessary  to 
recognize  * 'exceptions,"  otherwise  the  regular 
custom  will  become  disorganized  and  perhaps 
discontinued.  Perfect  order  is  impossible,  but 
breaks  must  not  interrupt  the  institution.  Sick- 
ness may  disarrange  a  household  for  days,  but  let 
it  be  talked  of  as  an  interruption.  Some  morning 
the  household  may  * 'sleep  in"  or  some  one  must 
catch  a  train.     What  is  to  be  done?     Never  omit 


192  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

worship  entirely  if  avoidable.  But  how  have  it 
briefly?  A  practice  of  real  interest  is  for  each 
person  at  the  table  to  quote  a  verse  of  Scripture ; 
then  kneel  and  unite  in  the  Lord's  Prayer.  Or 
the  23d  Psalm  may  be  recited  in  concert,  or  any 
other  brief  passage  of  Scripture,  or  the  Apostles' 
Creed.  Anything  that  recognizes  God  helps  to 
establish  the  house. 

Again,  there  will  be  individual  exceptions.  A 
child  must  run  a  message,  or  hasten  to  school 
before  the  rest  of  the  family  are  ready  for  wor- 
ship. Let  it  be  a  rule  that  such  an  absentee  shall 
ask  to  be  excused  from  devotions.  It  will  keep 
the  institution  constantly  in  mind  as  important. 
The  presence  of  visitors  should  on  no  account  be 
allowed  to  interfere  with  worship.  An  irreverent 
or  inconsiderate  visitor  should  be  spoken  to  in 
private  lest  harm  be  done — a  difficult  duty,  but 
necessary.  When  a  father  dies,  and  a  widowed 
mother  is  left  alone  with  her  little  ones,  should 
she  assume  the  duty  of  conducting  family  prayer? 
With  all  sympathy  and  tenderness,  we  reply,  Yes. 
She  taught  the  children  first  to  pray.  Perhaps 
she  has  led  in  prayer  already,  sharing  the  duties 
with  her  husband — a  good  custom — and  possibly 
her  prayer  will  prove  more  helpful  than  a  father's 
devotion.  It  frequently  is  the  case  that  a 
mother's  prayer  holds  a  child  with  peculiar 
power.  It  often  has  an  element  of  love  and  sym- 
pathy vibrant  in  it  that  is  not  so  fully  felt  in  a 
man's    worship.     And    after   all,    families,    like 


THE   ALTAR  IN  THE  HOME  193 

friends,  are  tied  by  heart-strings.  All  prayer 
should  be  tender  aud  simple  rather  than  formal 
or  pretentious.  Yes,  let  the  widow  strengthen 
her  shattered  home  at  the  altar  of  prayer. 

One  other  point  :Whereextemporaneous prayer 
is  too  severe  a  tax  upon  the  head  of  the  home, 
what  should  be  done?  Use  books  of  prayer. 
These  are  readily  available,  and  constitute  a  sub- 
stitute that  may  lead  the  way  to  closer  com- 
munion. Anything  is  better  than  neglect.  The 
supreme  end  is  a  closer  walk  with  God,  and  a 
daily  growth  in  grace.  No  lovelier  sight  can 
meet  the  gaze  of  the  angels,  than  a  family  group 
bending  in  adoration  and  spiritual  hunger  before 
God.  In  communion  with  Him  are  found  wis- 
dom, and  peace,  holiness  and  security.  They 
that  dwell  in  the  secret  place  of  the  Most  High 
shall  abide  under  the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 


CHAPTER    XV 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING 


The  mid-week  service,  by  whatever  name  it  is 
known — and  the  name  should  signify  the  nature 
of  the  meeting — may  be  made  an  invaluable  auxil- 
iary to  the  life  of  the  church;  or,  alas!  may  sink 
to  a  stage  at  which  it  becomes  a  discredit  to  the 
congregation. 

So  numerous  are  the  elements  entering  into  its 
success,  so  many  the  causes  of  failure,  and  so 
infinitely  wide  the  possibilities  of  variation,  that 
we  venture  nothing  more  than  to  mention  points. 

A  live  meeting  needs  a  live  leader. 

Punctuality  is  a  virtue;  anything  else  is  a  provo- 
cation to  people  accustomed  to  punctuality;  any- 
thing else  is  an  interruption  of  the  service.  Be 
punctual  yourself;  for  you  that  is  imperative; 
moreover,  your  example  will  be  helpful — if  not, 
it  will  be  positively  damaging.  What  right  have 
you  to  teach  a  whole  community  that  an  engage- 
ment can  be  broken  by  five  minutes  without 
harm?  Moreover,  the  negligence  manifest  in 
habitual  tardiness  breeds  disrespect. 

"The  meeting  on  Wednesday  will  commence 
promptly,"  announced  a  minister  one  Sabbath. 
"Will  it?"  mumbled  a  man  on  the  back  seat.  And 
another  smiled.  The  back  seat  had  struck  the 
pulpit.     A  pulpit  should  not  be  so  vulnerable. 

194 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  195 

Come,  if  possible,  before  the  hour  of  opening. 
You  may  not  be  able  to  meet  all  at  the  close  of 
the  service.  Make  it  a  point  to  see  some  before. 
People  like  this;  they  will  come  expressly  for 
that  purpose  if  they  desire  counsel.  Pastoral 
work  is  thereby  lightened,  or  made  more  intelli- 
gent and  helpful.  At  the  same  time,  and  this  is 
an  important  point,  your  meetings  are  made  more 
sociable.  Social  influences  of  the  right  type 
widen  the  avenues  to  spiritual  enjoyment. 

Let  the  room  be  well  ventilated — to  breathe 
atmosphere  a  week  old  is  neither  healthful  nor 
inspirational.  See  that  the  temperature  is  as 
nearly  comfortable  as  the  season  and  the  circum- 
stances will  permit.  Cold  feet  are  not  a  means 
of  grace;  nor  are  draughts  conducive  to  devotion. 
Practice  economy  in  anything  but  light;  have 
plenty  of  it;  a  brilliantly  lighted  room  is  an 
inspiration,  darkness  is  depressing. 

Let  the  praise  selections  be  prepared  before  the 
service.  Discussion  and  hymn-hunting  in  the 
presence  of  an  audience  interrupt  the  stillness  so 
helpful  to  worship. 

That  introduces  another  matter,  viz.,  should 
early-comers  make  a  social  occasion  of  the  mo- 
ments before  service  begins?  Yes,  undoubtedly; 
and  no,  decidedly.  Yes,  if  it  be  done  in  an 
undertone  of  reverence;  no,  if  it  be  in  loud  tones 
or  accompanied  by  laughter.  One  is  unseemly; 
the  other  may  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as  even 
to  cultivate  reverence;  to  make  the  stillness  felt. 


196  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

The  pastor's  manner  and  tone  will  strike  the  key- 
note. If  "the  hush"  is  upon  him,  it  will  be  upon 
the  people,  or,  if  not,  a  hint  as  to  the  seemliness 
of  quiet  will  be  effective. 

So  far,  so  good;  but  you  may  have  all  this 
and — a  small  audience.  The  real  difificulty  is  not 
yet  reached,  viz.,  how  the  meeting  itself  is  to  be 
conducted.  Before  touching  that,  however,  let 
us  pause  over  the  attendance. 

What  proportion  of  a  congregation  ought  to  be 
expected  to  appear  with  reasonable  regularity  at 
the  mid-week  service?  "That  depends."  In  the 
country  at  certain  seasons  few  are  free;  some- 
times roads  are  bad,  and  the  weather  inclement. 
In  towns  and  cities  other  conditions  prevail. 
Mothers  must  care  for  young  children.  The  sick, 
their  nurses,  and  all  "shut-ins"  are  honorably 
excused.  Travellers,  railroad  men  and  others  are 
"on  the  road."  Then  there  are  meetings,  munic- 
ipal, political,  literary  and  social  too  numerous 
to  mention,  not  forgetting  the  "lodge"  and 
"initiation  night,"  all  competing  with  the  church. 
Legitimate  claims  ought  cheerfully  to  be  recog- 
nized by  the  pastor  and  acknowledged-  Scold- 
ing is  useless;  besides,  it  is  always  in  bad  taste, 
and  reacts  on  the  scolder.  But  having  made  all 
due  allowance,  the  proportion  actually  attending 
the  mid-week  service  is  often  culpably  small. 
Illegitimate  claims  have  to  be  combatted  and 
negligence  overcome.  How  is  this  to  be  done? 
Not  en  masse,  not  by  the  wholesale.     First  make 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  197 

the  meetings  as  helpful  and  attractive  as  possible. 
Next,  by  a  systematic,  personal  campaign  cap- 
ture individuals.  This  is  a  task  that  never  ends; 
but  it  pays.  Do  not  expect  enough  to  cause 
heart-break  if  unattained;  but  unless  you  expect 
much  and  allow  your  people  to  feel  you  expect 
much,  you  will  fail.  The  right  kind  of  a  concep- 
tion is  worth  more  than  tongue  can  tell — either  in 
the  home,  the  business  or  the  church.  Adults 
like  children  are  governed  by  conceptions  and 
impressions.     We  all  are. 

Furthermore,  knit  the  various  portions  of  the 
congregation  by  ties  of  sympathetic  prayer.  Ex- 
press sympathy  from  the  pulpit  for  the  "shut- 
ins  '  of  all  descriptions,  and  for  the  "shut-outs." 
Let  them  know  it  is  understood  that  all  the  pray- 
ing force  of  the  congregation  will  unite  at  the 
mid-week  service;  the  absentees  as  well  as  the 
presentees.  At  the  service,  prayer  will  be  made 
for  the  sick,  the  dying,  the  aged;  for  infants, 
travellers,  for  absent  ones,  to  the  uttermost  ends 
of  the  earth.  Ask  for  the  sympathetic  co-opera- 
tion of  the  absent,  wherever  they  may  be,  on 
behalf  of  Zion,  and  the  responsibilities  there 
resting.  Then  in  pastoral  calls  ask  if  these 
requests  are  complied  with.  Any  questions 
regarding  the  church  work,  and  the  personal 
interest  taken  therein  are  stepping-stones  to  the 
heart,  peeps  into  conscience,  awakenings  of  the 
sense  of  responsibility. 

Where  possible,  it  maybe  well  to  have  not  only 


198  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

a  special  organist  for  this  service,  but  also  a  choir 
chosen  expressly  for  it,  too.  Quite  youthful  sing- 
ers may  be  enlisted  to  advantage.  The  all-impor- 
tant point  is  to  secure  the  right  person  as  leader. 

Good  singing,  hearty  praise,  enjoyable  and 
inspirational,  is  a  strong  element  towards  suc- 
cess. 

Difficult  to  attain?  Perhaps;  but  the  pastor  can 
do  much  at  this  point,  and  a  few  pledged  voices 
will  be  found  greatly  helpful. 

Look  out  for  the  sentiment  of  your  services. 
Never  allow  them  to  become  "drearily  perfunc- 
tory" or  "sentimentally  effusive."  Here  is 
Washington  Gladden' s  counsel:  "There  is  no 
necessity,  however,  that  they  should  be  formal 
and  frigid;  and  no  necessity  that  they  should  be 
emotionally  extravagant;  it  is  the  pastor's  busi- 
ness to  see  that  they  are  not.  When  they  are 
what  they  ought  to  be  they  serve  an  important 
purpose  in  the  life  of  the  church.  The  type  to 
which  they  ought  to  conform  is  that  of  a  free  and 
informal  conference  of  the  members,  upon  the  life 
of  the  Christian,  and  the  work  of  the  church.  The 
demand  is  not  supplied  by  a  lecture  from  the  pas- 
tor. What  is  wanted  is  that  the  people  them- 
selves should  be  trained  to  think  and  to  express 
their  thoughts  on  the  great  themes  of  the  spiritual 
life.  It  is  well,  also,  to  connect  with  these  devo- 
tional meetings  conferences  about  the  various 
charitable  enterprises  of  the  church,  so  that 
prayer  and  study  may  bear  fruit  in  service,  and 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  199 

so  that  work  may  be  informed  by  study  and  con- 
secrated by  prayer." 

Dr.  Blaikie  warns  against  making  it  "a  diluted 
edition  of  the  pulpit  service."  A  "conference" 
stands  in  danger  from  the  "  irrepressible  talker," 
and  the  "coldness"  of  debate. 

The  experience  meeting,  rejected  in  toto  by 
some  congregations  and  intrenched  by  hoar  cus- 
tom in  others,  possesses  a  merit  of  its  own. 
Objectors  point  to  crude  expressions,  the  tempta- 
tion to  insincerity,  the  margin  between  profession 
and  practice  apparent  to  the  brethren,  etc.  True! 
But  the  church  is  a  school  as  well  as  a  hospital; 
its  membership  needs  training  and  development. 
The  church  must  use  means  to  develop  workers. 
Many  congregations,  strong  in  men  of  noble  char- 
acter and  blameless  life,  are  lamentably  weak  in 
workers  capable  of  expressing  themselves  in  lucid 
language.  Practice  is  needed.  The  disconcert- 
ment of  the  novice  must  give  way  to  the  experi- 
ence which  can  think  on  its  feet.  Then,  too,  the 
expression  of  thought  perfects  thinking.  One 
scarcely  knows  what  he  really  does  know  until  he 
endeavors  to  express  it.  To  teach  a  subject  is 
the  best  way  of  mastering  it.  That  confession  of 
the  lips  attached  by  Jesus  and  the  apostles  to 
heart-life  means  something  to  the  believer  as  well 
as  to  the  world. 

Bible  readings  introduce  a  most  instructive  type 
of  meeting  if  well  conducted;  some  pastors  con- 
vert the  service  systematically  into  a  Bible  class. 


200  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

Advantages  and  disadvantages  attach  to  every 
kind  of  service.  Which  should  be  adopted? 
All.  Every  one  of  them,  as  occasion  admits. 
There  alone  is  found  the  needed  room  for  variety. 
An  immense  scope  for  variety  is  found,  too,  in  the 
subjects  deserving  treatment.  Some  years  ago, 
in  order  to  insure  variety  in  my  mid-week  service, 
I  prepared  a  list  of  possible  subjects,  which  I  give 
almost  as  originally  written: 

Sermonette. 

Bible  Reading. 

Lecture. 

Biblical  Introduction. 

Expository  Reading. 

Celebrated  Hymns — History  and  Authors. 

Course  on  Psalm  23. 

Course  on  the  Decalogue. 

Course  on  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

The  Poetry  of  the  Bible. 

Occasionally  read  a  poem  by  standard  author. 

Missions  —  Countries;    Events;     Distinguished 

Missionaries. 
Apologetics. 
Church  History. 
Doctrines. 
Temperance. 

The  Church  Courts,  and  Law. 
Course  on  Bunyan's  PilgrMs  Progress. 
Reports  of  Conventions,  Synods,  Assemblies, 

etc. 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  201 

Conference  on  Some  Phase  of  Church  Work  or 
Life. 

This  list  I  consulted  occasionally  in  laying  out 
my  work,  making  selections  with  a  view  to  appro- 
priateness and  variety.  In  the  course  on  Bun- 
yan's  Pilgri7n's  Progress  each  stage  was  sketched  on 
the  blackboard.  Many  subjects  may  be  made 
much  more  interesting,  and  far  more  educative, 
by  use  of  the  blackboard,  as  I  first  found  while 
giving  a  course  on  the  "Books  of  the  Bible." 
Each  lecture  presented  an  epitome  of  the  con- 
tents of  one  book  (or  part  of  a  book),  and  I  dis- 
covered also  that  questions  in  review  of  past 
lectures  were  readily  answered.  Where  the  pas- 
tor has  little  skill  in  the  use  of  chalk,  a  legitimate 
and  perhaps  fortunate  excuse  exists  for  enlisting 
the  co-operation  of  some  deft  hand  from  the  con- 
gregation. 

The  ability  to  keep  forces  wisely  at  work  is 
simply  invaluable  in  a  church. 

Another  point.  Let  a  meeting  develop  along 
its  own  line — if  it  will  develop.  Have  your  own 
plan  ready  so  that  no  drag  may  be  allowed.  A 
perfectly  open  way  must  be  felt  if  "conference" 
is  to  be  indulged  in. 

Next,  as  to  prayer — and  this  brings  us  to  the 
crux  of  the  meeting.  Because,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  devotional  part  of  the  service  maybe  its  most 
helpful  and  attractive  part;  or  on  the  other,  may 
become  its  most  wearisome  and  uninteresting 
feature.     Sad,  but  true!    Two  or  three  ten-minute 


202  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

prayers,  by  the  same  monotonous  voices,  in  the 
same  fixed  phrases,  week  after  week,  will  make  a 
desert  of  any  meeting.  A  worse  feature,  too,  of 
this  "simoon"  is  that  it  often  proceeds  from  the 
most  excellent  sources — pious  men  unconscious  of 
harm-doing.  The  worst  feature  perhaps  is  this, 
that  any  meeting  improperly  conducted  breeds 
this  kind  of  desolation.  Once  a  meeting  falls 
into  the  hands  of  two  or  three  experienced  men — 
and  is  kept  there  for  a  few  successive  weeks — then 
a  good  deal  of  ice  has  to  be  broken  before  younger 
and  "less  efficient"  persons  will  venture  to 
intrude.  And  yet  a  successful  prayer-meeting 
must  have  its  whole  atmosphere  permeated  by 
prayer.  Its  music,  its  address,  its  Scripture 
reading,  should  be  characterized  by  a  reverence  at 
once  prayerful  and  glorifying  to  God.  In  other 
words,  must  preserve  its  distinctively  religious 
nature.  If  it  descends  to  any  lower  plane,  its 
import  is  lost.  This  is  not  saying  that  it  ought 
to  be  stiff  or  unsociable;  but  everybody  knows 
the  difficulties.  The  question  is.  How  can  they 
be  overcome?  The  long-winded  brother  is  deaf 
to  the  request  for  "brief  prayers."  To  stop  him 
in  the  middle  of  his  "mistake"  is  to  offend  him; 
nor  will  it  be  less  offensive  to  expostulate  with 
him  in  private.  How  stop  the  harm,  without 
creating  damage?  Possibly  the  pastor  may  be 
able  to  convince  him  that  the  prayer-meeting 
fails  in  one  of  its  noblest  aims  unless  it  be  a 
school    in    which    the  young   and  new    members 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  203 

are  taught  to  pray.  If  he  can  be  brought 
to  feel  the  force  of  this,  and  the  desirability 
of  having  many  trained  to  take  part,  he  may 
consent  to  help  the  pastor  in  the  work  of 
training;  to  let  every  prayer  be  short,  lest  the 
novice  be  discouraged;  and  to  curb  his  gifts,  for 
his  younger  brother's  sake.  This  will  be  more 
easily  accomplished  if  he  can  be  brought  himself 
to  introduce  the  subject  to  certain  young  persons, 
who  are  promising  but  backward,  asking  them  to 
make  a  beginning.  Perhaps,  too,  if  the  prayer- 
meeting  were  made  a  subject  of  discussion  in 
which  members  are  invited  to  point  out  defects, 
or  suggest  improvements,  some  light  might  dawn 
on  everybody  concerned.  Why  should  not  the 
pastor,  or  some  one  prompted  for  the  occasion, 
read  at  such  a  meeting  Beecher's  or  Spurgeon's 
treatment  of  this  theme?  Light  from  any  quarter 
would  be  welcome.  Even  a  little  friction  might 
contribute  something  to  the  "rousement."  It 
goes  without  saying  that  the  length  of  a  prayer 
depends  on  its  quality,  and  its  quality  will  be  felt 
in  its  effect.  Absorbing  worship  seems  almost 
timeless.  We  forget  the  flight  of  the  minutes. 
But  the  fact  remains,  nevertheless,  that  under 
ordinary  circumstances  the  highest  heights  are 
attained  in  flights  that  are  not  long-lasting.  Ac- 
cordingly, if  it  be  found  desirable  that  short 
prayers  be  the  rule,  then  the  pastor  himself  must 
not  be  the  first  delinquent. 

"Sentence    prayers"     adopted    so    widely    by 


204  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

young  people's  societies,  though  discountenanced 
in  some  quarters,  possess  this  merit:  They  afford 
the  novice  an  opportunity  of  hearing  his  own 
voice  with  the  minimum  of  fear.  The  original 
trepidation  once  past,  his  course  is  safe. 

Patience  should  be  exercised  by  older  heads 
for  the  sake  of  beginners.  Silent  prayer  may  be 
made  impressive.  After  stating  that  no  one  per- 
son can  present  at  the  throne  all  the  matters  that 
ought  to  be  remembered  in  prayer,  ask  each 
silently  to  pray  for  that  interest  most  pressing  on 
his  or  her  own  mind.  Also  invite  the  sympa- 
thetic thought  of  the  audience  to  certain  cases  of 
illness,  bereavement  or  trial;  to  the  war  waging, 
or  moral  contest  pending,  etc.,  then  before  the 
stillness  of  the  silent  prayer  breaks,  let  the  pastor 
himself,  or  some  one  called  upon,  present  these 
issues  before  the  Lord. 

The  Lord's  Prayer  uttered  in  concert  is  enjoyed 
by  many.  Responsive  prayers  may  occasionally, 
in  some  gatherings,  be  made  very  helpful;  but 
this  is  a  difficult  kind  of  prayer  to  keep  prayer- 
ful. It  sounds  like  an  exercise.  With  a  class  of 
beginners,  however,  learning  to  pray,  it  becomes 
an  easy  and  helpful  aid. 

Reading  the  Scripture  affords  scope  for  profit- 
able variety.  Should  the  pastor  do  the  reading 
himself?  Yes,  if  the  passage  be  difficult,  espe- 
cially if  a  few  words  of  exposition  or  phrase- 
enlargement  will  magnify  its  meaning.  But  no; 
not  always;    nor  always  at  the  same  stage  of  the 


THE  PRAYER-MEETING  205 

meeting,  nor  always  a  full  chapter.  Wisely,  per- 
haps, a  few  verses  at  different  parts  of  the  meet- 
ing. Reading  in  concert  awakens  interest  with 
some.  Responsive  reading  is  frequently  adopted. 
Where  such  is  the  case  it  is  sometimes 
advantageous  to  invite  some  young  man  with 
a  good  voice  to  stand  by  the  pastor  and  lead  the 
response.  His  voice  fixes  the  time -rate  for 
the  audience.  Further,  it  educates  him.  By 
changing  "leaders,"  many  young  men  may  get  a 
little  training.  Should  the  pastor  always  lead 
the  meeting?  Yes,  unless  he  has  rare  wisdom  in 
the  pew.  Even  though  he  can  command  excep- 
tional talent  he  should,  I  think,  be  the  real 
leader.  His  presence  on  the  platform,  to  counsel, 
or  suggest,  can  give  no  offence  to  the  nominal 
leader,  may,  indeed,  afford  real  help,  and  will  at 
least  prevent  "the  unexpected"  to  cause  disap- 
pointment. 

"The  ideal  of  the  prayer-meeting,"  says 
Beecher,  "is  a  family  meeting, — a  household 
coming  together  and  telling,  all  of  them  from 
time  to  time,  what  God  hath  done  for  them, 
helped  to  it  by  the  discriminating  leadership  of 
whoever  presides  at  the  meeting."  The  last 
phrase  is  significant. 

Take  this  from  the  same  author  {Lectures  on 
Preaching,  Second  Series,  p.  82):  "...  the  most 
difficult  thing  that  you  will  have  to  do  in  your 
ministry  is  to  maintain  a  live  prayer-meeting.  It 
is  about  the  hardest  work  you  will  ever  know.     It 


2o6  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

will  tax  your  ingenuity  the  most;  it  will  tax 
your  resources,  your  power  over  men  and  over 
yourself,  your  administrative  faculty." 

In  a  similar  strain  writes  Gladden  (The  Chris- 
tian Pastor,  p.  248):  "The  man  who  leads  the 
meeting  ought  to  be  a  well-equipped  man,  ready, 
prompt,  resourceful,  enthusiastic,  with  an  abun- 
dance of  tact  and  good  nature." 

On  the  ideal  of  the  meeting  the  same  author 
continues:  "The  life  of  the  Christian  is  the  first 
great  theme  of  the  mid-week  service;  the  second 
which  is  like  unto  it,  is  the  work  of  the  Church." 

The  problem  is  to  bring  all  phases  of  Christian 
life  and  work  to  the  altar,  and  in  so  doing  to 
develop  the  social  and  sympathetic  potentialities 
of  the  people. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER 

The  revelation  of  Scripture,  like  the  revelation 
of  nature,  declares  that  "power  belongeth  unto 
God."  Not  only  those  individuals  upon  whom 
His  Pentecost  has  fallen,  have  discovered  that 
power  comes  upon  men  while  waiting  upon  the 
Lord;  but  evidence  to  the  same  truth  is  avail- 
able from  a  far  wider  constituency.  By  the  com- 
mon intuitions  of  the  human  heart;  by  the  almost 
universal  experience  of  mankind;  by  the  liter- 
ature of  all  ages;  prayer  is  recognized  as  a  posi- 
tive power  on  earth.  The  sentiment  of  Lord 
Tennyson  that 

"More  things  are  wrought  by  prayer 
Than  this  world  dreams  of," 

expresses  the  faith  of  poets  and  sages  every- 
where. The  man  of  science  may  nurse  his  doubt, 
and  saturate  his  intellect  with  physical  theories, 
but  on  occasion  his  heart  will  scale  his  theory  and 
leap  to  the  throne  as  naturally  as  the  hart  panteth 
after  the  water  brooks.  Neither  the  advance  of 
science,  nor  the  persecution  of  the  ages  have 
sufficed  to  stay  the  tide  of  prayer  that  flows  up- 
ward from  the  human  heart;  for  regardless  of 
what  the  world  says,  the  sainthood  of  earth  goes 

207 


2o8  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

on  praying;  and  this  most  enlightened  of  all  the 
centuries  beholds  the  profoundest  learning  and 
the  ripest  philosophy  bowing  the  knee  together 
in  intelligent  worship.  And  still  swells  into 
larger  proportions,  the  growing  volume  of  evidence 
that  prayer  is  the  key  to  God's  treasury,  a  power 
continually  working  miracles,  the  means  by 
which  a  supernatural  force  alters  the  current 
of  nature's  blinder  forces  for  personal  ends. 

Two  questions  will  occupy  our  attention: 
First,  what  is  the  nature  of  prayer-power?  And 
next,  what  is  the  measure  of  that  power? 

I.  The  nature  of  prayer-power.  There  is  no 
reason  why  so  much  misunderstanding  should 
exist  on  this  vital  question.  The  scientist  may 
very  well  approach  the  subject  from  a  different 
standpoint  from  that  of  the  saint,  but  both  saint 
and  scientist  can  satisfy  the  soundest  reason  as 
well  as  the  profoundest  faith.  There  is  no  con- 
tradiction in  saying  that  prayer  is  "communion 
with  God,"  and  that  "it  is  a  force,"  because  it  is 
not  so  much  a  force  among  forces  as  a  force 
above  forces.  In  other  words,  the  power  of 
prayer  does  not  belong  to  the  same  order  of 
energy  as  the  forces  of  nature — gravitation,  elec- 
tricity, magnetism  and  the  like;  and  there  is  no 
power  resident  in  the  universe  but  upon  that  par- 
ticular force  prayer  can  lay  its  hand  and  call  its 
might  into  service.  This  becomes  possible 
because,  in  contradistinction  from  natural  forces, 
prayer   is   a  personal    power.      It   has   personal 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  209 

intelligence  to  guide  it,  personal  will  to  apply  it, 
personal  life  to  give  it  character  and  energy,  and 
tenderness  and  love;  and  finally  personal  control 
on  the  higher  side  to  prevent  it  from  working 
awry  from  the  purpose  of  God.  Prayers  in  line 
with  God's  will  move  in  the  realm  of  moral  cer- 
tainty, because  they  are  moral;  in  the  realm  of 
natural  certainty,  because  they  obey  law;  and  in 
the  realm  of  divine  certainty,  because  backed  by 
the  promises  of  God.  And  these  three  are  stages 
in  one  certainty.  The  energies  of  the  universe 
are  arranged  in  hierarchial  order,  God  Himself 
being  supreme — material  forces,  vital  forces, 
mental  forces,  spiritual  forces — the  lower  subject 
to  the  higher;  and  all  controlled  by  a  Person  for 
the  benefit  of  persons.  For  He  who  ruleth  all 
things  after  the  counsel  of  His  own  will  maketh 
all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God.  And  more,  the  Creator  of  all  things 
has  delegated  man  with  power  akin  to  His  own, 
and  divinely  charged  him  to  "have  dominion 
over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of  the 
air,  and  over  all  the  earth"  (Gen.  1:26). 

Clearly  man  shares  with  the  Almighty  the  con- 
trol of  nature's  stored-up  energies.  Her  imper- 
sonal forces  are  uniform  in  their  action,  made 
uniform  no  doubt  that  they  may  be  controlled. 
When  once  man  discovers  "the  laws"  of  a  force 
he  can  impose  his  will  upon  it,  compelling  it  to 
effect  his  purpose.  This  is  true  of  gravitation,  of 
heat,   of   electricity  and   of   every   other   known 


2IO  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

force,  chemical  or  mechanical.  Of  course  man's 
"dominion"  is  limited,  while  God's  dominion  is 
absolute.  But  the  first  point  to  be  seized  is  that 
unfree  forces  are  actually  controlled  by  human 
beings  here  and  now.  Modern  material  wonders 
would  have  been  impossible  were  this  not  true. 
The  engine,  the  dynamo  and  the  camera  attest 
this  truth. 

The  other  point,  that  God  exercises  free  per- 
sonal sway  over  the  forces  He  has  created,  needs 
less  enforcement,  when  the  former  truth  is  appre- 
hended, and  it  becomes  realized  to  what  an 
extent  man  can  do  the  same  thing.  Besides,  if 
any  one  will  read  history  or  mark  the  progress  of 
civilization  he  will  need  neither  the  revelation  of 
Scripture  nor  scarcely  the  intuition  of  his  own 
mind  to  see  that  God's  control  is  both  purposeful 
and  beneficent.  God  through  man  has  re-created 
the  world  which  came  from  His  Hand  in  the 
rough.  It  is  at  this  point  that  prayer  appears  as 
a  force  intruding  itself  among  other  forces,  or 
more  properly  becomes  instrumental  in  superven- 
ing upon  them  a  superior  power.  In  so  far  as  a 
person  can  control  nature's  powers  for  his  bene- 
fit, as  the  farmer  does,  as  the  mechanic  does,  as 
the  chemist  and  navigator  do,  he  is  expected  to 
apply  labor  diligently  to  that  end,  and  his  indus- 
try is  commended.  But  the  moment  he  feels  his 
own  power  inadequate  or  his  own  wisdom  insuffi- 
cient, he  is  invited  to  link  himself  to  Higher 
Power,   and  promised  that   if    he   asks  he  shall 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  211 

receive,  that  if  he  seeks  he  shall  find.  About  this 
there  is  no  unfamiliar  mystery.  Even  the  man 
who  proclaims  the  "reign  of  law,"  and  teaches 
the  constancy  of  natural  forces  must  recognize 
that  he,  a  person,  is  continually  so  controlling 
these  forces  as  to  make  them  obey  his  will.  And 
this  he  can  do  at  the  request  of  his  child.  Here 
for  example,  is  a  sand  bank,  and  a  child  wants  a 
cave  or  a  house  there,  but  he  has  neither  the 
strength  nor  the  wisdom  to  accomplish  his  pur- 
pose. So  he  expresses  his  desire  to  his  father. 
And  the  father,  howbeit  he  knows  that  gravitation 
holds  the  sand,  and  cohesion  makes  the  roots 
tough,  and  perchance  he  encounters  blocks  of 
rock  too  heavy  to  be  moved  by  his  hands,  yet  he 
intrudes  his  personal  intelligence  and  physical 
muscle,  and  perhaps  introduces  mechanical  appli- 
ances, and  finally  the  sand  is  delved,  the  roots 
severed,  and  the  boulders  removed  and  the  boy's 
prayer  is  answered.  Moreover  all  this  has  been 
effected  without  the  violation  of  law.  The  reign 
of  law  was  uninterrupted,  not  by  being  undis- 
turbed but  by  being  controlled.  Lower  forces 
yielded  to  higher  types  of  force  in  perfect  accord 
with  law,  the  determining  power  being  personal; 
the  highest  type  of  power  in  the  world. 

Carry  the  analogy  higher  and  we  have  an  illus- 
tration of  the  power  of  prayer  at  the  throne  of 
God.  The  saint  desires  what  God  wills  he  should 
possess,  and  straightway  forces  are  controlled  to 
that  end  by  the  Hand  that  rules  the  world.     If  we 


212  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

being  evil  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  our 
children  and  being  feeble  are  able  to  do  so,  how 
much  more  shall  our  Father  which  is  in  Heaven 
give  good  things  to  them  that  ask  Him.  Such 
an  argument  is  irresistible.  And  both  points 
hold.  In  very  sooth  a  child's  desire  moves  the 
father  and  through  the  father  moulds  events.  In 
a  similar  way  human  prayer  has  motive  power 
with  the  Infinite  and  Omnipotent  God,  our  Heav- 
enly Father,  and  through  Him  gives  shape  and 
direction  to  human  affairs. 

II.  The  measure  of  prayer-power.  The  ques- 
tion naturally  arises,  if  the  prayer  that  lives  in  a 
human  soul  can  move  the  Hand  which  holds  the 
universe  towards  that 

"One]far-off  divine  event, 
To  which  the  whole  creation  moves, ' ' 

what  is  the  measure  of  its  force?  Can  we  determine 
the  degree  of  power  resident  in  prayer?  To  every 
Christian  this  is  an  interesting  practical  question, 
because,  while  we  do  not  doubt  the  power  of 
Omnipotence,  we  may  well  doubt  that  a  human 
prayer  has  equal  reach  with  the  power  of  God. 
And  yet,  if  what  we  have  said  is  true,  it  will  be 
seen  that  ultimately  the  power  of  prayer  is  limited 
only  by  the  power  of  God.  In  other  words,  there 
is  no  limit  except  such  as  God  places  upon  Him- 
self by  His  character  and  eternal  purpose.  In 
every  case  prayer  may  be  equal  to  the  task 
assigned  it.  If  it  be  not,  it  is  because  of  some 
inherent  fault  crippling  its  force  on  the  human 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  213 

side.  Unfortunately  prayer  rarely  attains  its  full 
power.  It  is  mixed  or  misdirected,  or  feels  its 
way  feebly,  has  no  confidence  in  itself,  or  pulls 
contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  or  conflicts  with 
other  graver  issues;  so  that  it  may  be  said  a 
prayer  has  no  power,  or  little  power,  or  much 
power,  or  irresistible  power;  according  to  quali- 
ties in  the  prayer  itself.  In  part  this  phase  of 
the  subject  has  been  dealt  with  in  Chap.  VI, 
where  it  is  shown  that  a  prayer  has  no  power  if 
the  worshipper's  heart  is  wrong — "If  I  regard 
iniquity  in  my  heart  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me"; 
or,  if  the  request  is  improperly  made,  "Ye  ask 
and  receive  not  because  ye  ask  amiss";  or,  if  the 
asking  be  for  a  wrong  purpose,  "that  ye  may  con- 
sume it  on  your  lusts,"  etc.  But  more  partic- 
ularly, it  concerns  us  here  to  show  that  there  are 
degrees  in  prayer-power  in  a  rising  scale  as  we 
approximate  God's  will  and  become  meet  to 
receive  His  gifts. 

(i)  A  prayer  may  be  real  and  yet  feeble  in 
desire,  or  it  may  burn  with  ardor,  and  agonize 
with  fervent  longing.  It  may  be  a  hunger,  a 
thirst,  an  intense  craving.  Scripture  phraseology 
pictures  this  graphically.  "Strive  together"  in 
prayer;  "labored  fervently  in  prayer"  ;  "and  being 
in  an  agony  he  prayed  more  earnestly." 

(2)  Again,  prayer-power  is  proportional  to  faith. 
The  rule  is,  "According  to  your  faith  be  it  unto 
you."  "All  things  are  possible  to  him  that 
believeth." 


214  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

The  paralysis  of  prayer  is  unbelief,  but  faith 
has  mountain-moving  power.  (Vide  Heb.  ii  for  a 
chapter  of  illustrations.)  A  prayer  like  the  mus- 
tard seed  must  be  the  hiding-place  of  secret  power 
awaiting  larger  life. 

(3)  But,  further,  a  momentary  desire,  or  a 
momentary  act  of  faith,  however  intense,  cannot 
represent  the  greatest  potency  of  prayer.  Our 
Saviour  is  careful  to  enforce  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample what  believers  are  prone  to  forget,  namely, 
that  importunity  is  necessary  to  the  exercise  of 
supreme  power  in  prayer.  Long-continued, 
growing  intensity  of  desire  introduces  into  prayer 
a  new  quality  and  efficiency.  So  important  is 
this  element  of  power  that  Jesus  spake  two 
parables  to  illustrate  and  enforce  it.  The  im- 
portunate widow  and  the  unprepared  host  both 
personify  the  doctrine  that  God  "is  a  rewarder  of 
them  that  diligently  seek  him."  In  other 
phrase,  "Men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to 
faint."  "Praying  always  with  all  prayer." 
"Day  and  night  praying  exceedingly."  Our 
Lord  Himself  spent  whole  nights  in  prayer  and 
offered  up  prayer  "with  strong  crying  and  tears." 
In  addition  it  may  be  said,  that  if  we  reflect  a 
moment  we  can  readily  apprehend  how  im- 
portunity in  prayer  does  alter  the  character  of  the 
person  who  prays.  He  grows  with  his  increasing 
desire,  and  he  overcomes  such  personal  unfitness 
as  stands  between  him  and  the  attainment  of  his 
prayer,  until  he  actually  reaches  the  condition  of 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  215 

fitness  where  he  is  meet  to  receive  the  blessing  for 
which  he  has  importuned  God.  The  prayer  is 
part  of  the  preparation.  "Ye  shall  receive  power 
after  that  the  Holy  Spirit  is  come  upon  you,"  but 
for  that  power  ye  must  "tarry"  and  the  tarrying 
is  a  period  of  prayer. 

(4)  This  brings  us  within  view  of  another  ele- 
ment in  prayer-power.  Our  gracious  Father, 
seeing  the  benefit  it  would  be  to  His  children,  and 
the  aid  that  would  accrue  to  His  Kingdom,  has 
made  provision  for  overcoming  human  inertia, 
and  for  stimulating  our  holy  passion  beyond  the 
intensity  of  human  possibility,  by  direct  action  of 
the  Spirit.  By  this  means  man's  worthy  inten- 
tion is  reinforced,  and  his  potential  resources 
mightily  increased  in  the  line  of  God's  working, 
"For  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  you  both  to  will 
and  to  do  of  His  good  pleasure"  (Phil.  2:  12). 
Likewise,  "the  Spirit  Himself  maketh  interces- 
sion for  us  with  groanings  that  cannot  be  uttered." 
Thus  human  desire  is  fostered,  and  schooled,  and 
disciplined  by  divine  agency  to  exercise  itself; 
and  then  Omnipotence  adds  the  power  that 
humanly  is  lacking. 

Israel  cannot  scale  the  walls  of  Jericho,  but  at 
the  right  moment  an  unseen  Power  levels  them  to 
the  ground.  God's  people  can  march  straight  to 
the  sea,  and  at  the  crisis-moment  find  that  a  dry 
path  appears  before  them.  The  leprous  and 
blind,  and  deaf  and  dumb  can  cry  for  help;  and 
disease  and  pain,  supposed  to  be  incurable,  disap- 


2i6  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

pear.  Cases  of  similar  import  might  be  cited 
outside  of  the  sacred  writings.  God  is  always 
working  miracles;  always  intervening  in  the 
routine  of  nature  to  perform  the  ministries  of 
grace  and  to  work  out  His  sovereign  will.  Still 
He  is  casting  down  thrones  and  dominions.  Still 
He  is  elevating  peoples  and  establishing  nations. 
Upon  sufficient  cause  He  can  stay  the  coursing 
spheres  or  seal  the  heavens  from  rain;  can  quench 
the  power  of  fire,  or  raise  the  stricken  dead. 
This  power  is  available  through  prayer,  an  exer- 
cise of  the  soul  of  the  amazing  possibilities  of 
which  it  may  be  said  few  people  dream;  and  so 
far  as  the  church  is  concerned,  we  may  reverently 
say,  as  is  sometimes  said  of  missions,  it  is  merely 
playing  at  prayer. 

And  now  let  us  pause  a  moment  to  see  just 
where  we  are.  By  the  slow  steps  of  argument 
and  illustration  we  have  climbed  to  an  altitude 
from  which  intelligence  can  dimly  discern  the 
sheer  height  which  faith  in  its  swift  flight  easily 
takes  any  moment  in  its  transactions  with  God. 
The  way  may  seem  difficult  for  reason,  but  for 
faith  is  as  natural  as  breathing,  and  far  more 
potent  than  any  other  power  in  the  world.  But 
if  we  wish  to  attain  anything  like  an  adequate 
conception  of  the  hidden  resources  and  immeasur- 
able possibilities  of  prayer  we  must  change  our 
point  of  view,  and  behold  its  operations  not  in 
terrestrial  but  in  spiritual  spheres.  For  not  only 
is  prayer  a  force  supervening  upon  world  forces, 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  217 

but  as  soon  as  we  reflect,  lo!  prayer  is  seen  to  be 
the  only  means  to  pardon,  the  only  path  to  light, 
the  only  key  to  holiness,  the  only  means  to  re- 
demption and  immortality.  Without  it  there  is 
no  religion,  and  no  sanctification.  "Prayer  is 
the  Christian's  vital  breath."  To  change  the  fig- 
ure, it  is  the  faucet  whereby  the  reservoir  of 
heavenly  grace  is  opened  into  a  human  life;  it  is 
the  point  of  contact  by  which  the  circuit  of  power 
is  completed  between  the  Infinite  and  the  finite. 
By  the  exercise  of  its  mysterious  might  Moses, 
and  Joshua,  and  Elijah,  and  Daniel,  and  David 
were  enabled  to  prevail.  And  the  same  power 
to-day  makes  it  possible  for  the  sainthood  of 
earth,  like  St.  Paul,  to  "do  all  things  through 
Christ  who  strengtheneth  me." 

One  Son  has  God  had  upon  earth,  who  lived 
without  sin,  but  God  never  had  a  son  who  lived 
without  prayer.  The  only  sinless  life  that  ever 
graced  the  earth  was  its  most  prayerful  life.  Son 
of  God,  and  Son  of  Man,  He  communed  with 
Omnipotence  unceasingly.  In  prayer  the  Holy 
Spirit  came  upon  Him;  in  prayer  He  was  trans- 
figured; in  prayer  the  angel  strengthened  Him;  in 
prayer  He  breathed  out  His  soul  on  Calvary;  yea, 
and  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession — prayer 
not  for  Himself — but  for  us.  How  true  that 
Augustinian  cry,  "Thou  hast  made  us  for  Thyself, 
and  our  heart  is  restless  until  it  find  rest  in 
Thee"!  Peace  is  the  fruit  of  power.  It  is  in 
security  that  the  soul  finds  rest — not  in  danger. 


2i8  COMMUNION  WITH  GOD 

We  may  well  rejoice  that  "God's  greatness  flows 
around  our  incompleteness,  and  round  our  rest- 
lessness, His  rest."  Weakness  needs  for  itself 
the  Rock  of  Ages;  and  for  service  the  "all 
power"  which  was  given  to  Him  who  has  prom- 
ised to  those  who  go,  "Lo!  I  am  with  you  always 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  Oh!  faint  and 
weary  one,  fresh  courage  take;  our  feebleness  is 
no  index  of  God's  power.  Our  very  emptiness 
may  be  the  necessary  preparation  for  divine  fill- 
ing. It  is  for  our  sake  that  in  Him  are  hid  all  the 
treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge,  all  the  full- 
ness of  the  Godhead;  and  He  ever  liveth  to  min- 
ister in  our  behalf,  that  we  "maybe  filled  with  all 
the  fullness  of  God."  For  every  believer,  all  the 
treasures  of  grace  are  as  freely  open  as  though  no 
other  being  lived.  Indeed,  more  fully,  since  by 
the  divine  economy  human  beings  become  chan- 
nels of  good  to  one  another.  Men  do  not  stand 
in  one  another's  way  at  the  throne  of  heavenly 
grace.  The  highest  good  and  greatest  power  of 
each  is  helpful  to  the  supremest  blessing  of  all. 
There  is  no  place  where  personality  gains  poise 
and  power  and  development  as  in  the  secret  place 
of  the  Most  High.  In  prayer  it  is  that  God  im- 
parts Himself  to  man  in  largest  measure,  for  God 
can  do  more  in  a  praying  man  than  in  any  other, 
inasmuch  as  such  a  soul  is  more  responsive  to 
His  grace  Prayer  is  as  necessary  to  spiritual 
growth  as  breathing  to  physical  life,  and  both 
must  be  unceasing.     It  is  they  who  wait  upon  the 


THE  POWER  OF  PRAYER  219 

Lord,  that  renew  their  strength;  and,  mounting  up 
with  wings  as  eagles,  run  without  weariness;  and 
with  unfainting  power  "press  on  toward  the  goal 
unto  the  prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus." 


XVII 
A    COLLECTION     OF     PRAYERS 

ITnvocattons 


EVER-LIVING  and  adorable  God  our  Heav- 
enly Father,  we  bow  our  heads  in  Thy 
presence  and  lift  our  hearts  unto  Thee  in  wor- 
ship. Oh,  enlighten  our  understanding  that  we 
may  have  a  true  conception  of  Thy  glory;  and  so 
quicken  our  spiritual  vision  that  we  may  see  The 
King  in  His  beauty,  and  adore  with  awe  and 
humility.  O  God,  inspire  our  love  we  pray,  that, 
ransomed  by  Thy  grace  from  taint  of  sin,  we  may 
truly  love  Him  who  first  loved  us.     Amen. 

II 

OLORD  our  God,  we  invoke  the  divine  bless- 
ing as  we  draw  near  unto  Thee  in  worship. 
Thou  only  art  the  Fountain  of  life  and  peace,  and 
in  Thy  presence  is  fullness  of  joy.  Merciful 
Saviour  who  sittest  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father 
and  makest  intercession,  fulfill  now  Thy  promise 
to  us  who  are  gathered  in  Thy  name  and  be  in 
our  midst.  O,  Holy  Ghost,  the  Comforter,  help 
our  infirmities  and  enable  us  to  worship  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness;  through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord.     Amen. 

220 


A   COLLECTION  OF  PRAYERS        221 


III 

WE  BLESS  Thee,  O  God,  that  Thou  hast 
consecrated  for  us  a  new  and  living  way 
and  that  with  boldness  we  may  enter  into  the 
holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus.  We  entreat  Thee, 
for  His  sake,  to  receive  us  graciously,  and  to 
visit  us  with  Thy  salvation.  Be  pleased  to  send 
down  Thy  Holy  Spirit  on  all  who  are  here  assem- 
bled, that,  being  illumined  by  Thy  Grace,  we  may 
worthily  show  forth  Thy  praise,  meekly  learn  Thy 
Word,  render  due  thanks  for  Thy  mercies,  and 
obtain  a  gracious  answer  to  our  prayers,  through 
the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

— Social  Worship. 

IV 

OGOD,  Light  of  the  hearts  that  know  Thee, 
and  Life  of  the  souls  that  love  Thee,  and 
Strength  of  the  thoughts  that  seek  Thee ;  from 
whom  to  be  turned  away  is  to  fall,  to  whom  to 
turn  is  to  rise,  and  in  whom  to  abide  is  to  stand 
fast  forever;  grant  us  now  Thy  grace  and  bless- 
ing, as  we  are  assembled  here  to  offer  up  our 
common  supplications;  and  though  we  are  un- 
worthy to  approach  Thee  or  to  ask  anything  of 
Thee  at  all,  vouchsafe  to  hear  and  to  answer  us 
for  the  sake  of  our  Great  High  Priest  and  Advo- 
cate, Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 

—  Book  of  Common  Order. 


222  COMMUNION  WITH    GOD 


LIFT  upon  us,  O  Lord,  the  light  of  Thy 
reconciled  countenance  and  give  us  peace. 
Grant  unto  us  the  inspiration  of  Thy  Holy 
Spirit,  that  we  may  worship  Thee  who  art  a 
Spirit,  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  May  our  prayers 
be  the  crying  out  of  the  soul  after  Thee,  the  liv- 
ing God.  May  our  songs  of  praise  be  the  utter- 
ance of  hearts  that  are  glad  in  the  Lord.  Speak 
to  us  through  Thy  Word.  Command  our  atten- 
tion. Transform  our  lives.  And  to  Thee, 
Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost  will  we  ascribe 
honor  and  glory,  world  without  end.      Amen. 

—A.  Gandier,  B.D. 


VI 

GOD  of  peace  and  all  comfort,  who  hast 
invited  Thy  children  to  come  boldly  to 
the  throne  of  grace  that  we  may  obtain  mercy 
and  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need,  unto  Thee 
we  come  moved  by  the  impulse  of  Thine  in- 
dwelling love.  Oh,  satisfy  our  holy  longings. 
Cleanse  our  hearts  from  sin.  Enlighten  the  eyes 
of  our  understanding.  Speak  peace  to  the 
troubled  and  enable  us  all  to  dwell  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ  Jesus  while  we  present  to  Thee 
the  homage  of  our  grateful  hearts.     Amen. 


A  COLLECTION   OF  PRAYERS        223 


VII 

GRACIOUS  and  most  merciful  God  who 
pardoneth  all  our  iniquities  and  healeth  all 
our  diseases,  unto  Thee  we  come  with  praise  and 
thanksgiving.  Enable  us  to  worship  Thee  in  the 
beauty  of  holiness.-  Inspire  our  thinking,  that 
worthily  we  made  adore  Thee.  Inspire  our  love 
that  we  may  love  Him  who  first  loved  us.  Inspire 
our  speech  that  the  words  of  our  mouths  and  the 
meditation  of  our  hearts  may  be  acceptable  in 
Thy  sight,  O  Lord,  our  Strength  and  our  Re- 
deemer.    Amen. 

VIII 

ETERNAL  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  we 
approach  Thy  throne  with  strong  desire. 
Our  thought  is  bent  on  Thee;  our  hearts  uplifted 
to  Thee.  O  God  of  love,  open  upon  us,  we 
beseech  Thee,  the  fountain  of  Thy  grace,  that, 
cleansed  from  sin  and  inspired  of  Thy  Holy 
Spirit,  we  may  worthily  magnify  Thy  holy 
name.     Amen. 


224  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

BeneDtcttons 

The  following  Benedictions  should  be  memo- 
rized, and  used  variously,  but  not  necessarily  to 
the  exclusion  of  extemporaneous  Benedictions, 
which  used  occasionally  may  be  very  effective: 

IX 

THE  Lord  bless  thee  and  keep  thee;  the  Lord 
make  His  face  to  shine  upon  thee,  and  be 
gracious  unto  thee.  The  Lord  lift  up  His  coun- 
tenance upon  thee  and  give  thee  peace.  Amen. 
— (Num.  6:  24-26.) 

X 

THE  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, keep  your  hearts  and  minds 
through  Christ  Jesus;  and  may  the  blessing  of 
God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Spirit  rest  upon 
you  now  and  forever.     Amen. — (Phil.  4:  7.) 

XI 

THE  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
love  of  God,  and  the  communion  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  be  with  you  all.     Amen. 

XII 

AND  now  may  the  God  of  peace  that  brought 
again  from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that 
great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood 


A   COLLECTION   OF    PRAYERS      225 

of  the  everlasting  covenant,  make  you  perfect  in 
every  good  work  to  do  His  will,  working  in  you 
that  which  is  well  pleasing  in  His  sight,  through 
Jesus  Christ;  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever. 
Amen. — (Heb.  13:20-21.) 

Worship  may  also  appropriately  be  closed  with 
ascription  of  praise  to  the  Most  High. 

XIII 

NOW  unto  the  blessed  and  only  Potentate, 
the  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords; 
who  only  hath  immortality,  dwelling  in  light 
unapproachable;  whom  no  man  hath  seen  nor  can 
see;  to  Him  be  honor  and  power  eternal.  Amen. 
— (i  Tim.  6:  15-16.) 

XIV 

NOW  unto  Him  that  is  able  to  do  exceed- 
ing abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think,  according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us, 
unto  Him  be  the  glory  in  the  church  and  in 
Christ  Jesus,  unto  all  generations  forever  and 
ever.     Amen. — (Eph.  3:  20-21  ) 


XV 

NOW   unto   Him   that   is   able   to  keep  you 
from  falling  and  to  present  you  faultless 
before  the  presence  of  His  glory  with  exceeding 


226  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

joy,  to  the  only  wise  God,  our  Saviour,  be  glory 
and  majesty,  dominion  and  power  both  now  and 
ever.     Amen. — (Jude  24-25.) 

XVI 

NOW  unto  Him  that  loved  us,  and  loosed  us 
from  our  sins  by  His  blood,  and  made  us 
to  be  a  kingdom,  to  be  priests  unto  His  God  and 
Father;  to  Him  be  the  glory  and  the  dominion 
forever  and  ever.     Amen. — (Rev.  1:5-6.) 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      227 


HOotations 

XVII 

WE  ADORE  Thee,  O  God  our  Father,  and 
hallow  Thy  holy  name.  Before  the 
mountains  were  brought  forth  or  ever  Thou  hadst 
formed  the  earth  and  the  world,  even  from  ever- 
lasting to  everlasting  Thou  art  God.  Thou  art 
the  blessed  and  only  Potentate;  the  king  of 
kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  The  heavens  declare 
Thy  glory  and  the  firmament  showeth  Thy  handy- 
work.  Enable  us  also,  O  Lord,  so  to  live,  and 
love, and  labor,  as  to  manifest  Thy  praise.  Amen. 


XVIII 

OGOD,  Thou  art  the  King  eternal,  immortal 
and  invisible.  Before  Thee  the  angels 
veil  their  faces  and  cry  Holy,  Holy,  Holy,  Lord 
God  Almighty.  Teach  us.  Thine  earth-born 
creatures,  also  to  worship  and  adore  Thee. 
Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive  blessing  and 
honor,  and  glory,  and  power,  for  Thou  hast 
created  all  things.  The  earth  is  Thine,  and  the 
fullness  thereof;  the  world  and  they  that  dwell 
therein;  Thou  openest  Thy  hand  and  satisfiest 
the  desires  of  every  living  thing.  O  God,  how 
shall  we  praise  Thee  as  we  ought,  or  serve  Thee 
as  we  should?    Amen. 


228  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

XIX 

ALMIGHTY  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  who 
coverest  Thyself  with  light  as  with  a  gar- 
ment; grant  us  to-day  that  inner  light  by  which 
we  may  see  the  King  in  His  beauty  and  rever- 
ently adore  Him.  We  rejoice  that  Thou  art  light 
and  in  Thee  is  no  darkness  at  all;  that  Thou  art 
love,  and  that  all  who  dwell  in  love  dwell  in 
Thee;  that  Thou  art  our  Father,  and  that  we  are 
the  children  of  Thy  love.  May  our  worship 
deepen  the  impress  of  Thine  image  upon  our 
nature,  and  may  all  our  service  redound  to  Thy 
glory.     Amen. 

XX 

OUR  Father  who  art  in  Heaven,  we  desire  to 
hallow  Thy  holy  name.  Thou  art  a  Spirit, 
infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable,  in  Thy  being, 
wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness  and 
truth.  Thou  hast  created  us  for  Thy  glory,  and 
hast  made  us  capable  of  glorifying  Thee.  Accept 
therefore  our  grateful  homage,  our  reverent 
adoration,  and  our  pledge  of  loyal  devotion;  for, 
we  believe  in  God  the  Father,  Almighty,  Maker 
of  heaven  and  earth;  and  in  Jesus  Christ  Thy 
only  Son  our  Lord,  who  was  conceived  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  suffered 
under  Pontius  Pilate,  was  crucified,  dead  and 
buried;  who  descended  into  the  grave,  on  the  third 
day  rose  again  from  the  dead  and  ascended  into 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       229 

heaven;  who  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of  God  the 
Father  Almighty,  and  from  thence  shall  come  to 
judge  the  living  and  the  dead. 

We  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit;  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church,  the  communion  of  the  saints,  the 
forgiveness  of  sins;  the  resurrection  of  the  body, 
and  the  life  everlasting.  Grant  us  in  this  faith 
to  live,  grant  us  in  this  faith  to  die;  and  having 
glorified  Thee  by  a  consistent  walk  and  conversa- 
tion here,  call  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  in  Thine  own 
good  time  to  praise  Thee  evermore  above.  And 
so  shall  we  be  Thine  now  and  forever.    Amen. 

XXI 

OLORD  God,  enable  us  to  worship  Thee 
with  reverence  and  godly  fear,  with  lively 
confidence  and  holy  joy,  according  to  Thy  Word. 
Great  art  Thou,  O  God,  and  greatly  to  be  praised, 
and  Thy  greatness  is  unsearchable.  One  genera- 
tion shall  praise  Thy  works  to  another  and  shall 
declare  Thy  mighty  acts;  and  we  will  speak  of 
the  glorious  honor  of  Thy  wondrous  works.  Thou 
art  love,  O  God  our  Father,  and  we  love  Thee 
because  Thou  didst  first  love  us.  Blessed  be 
Thy  name,  most  high  and  glorious  King, 
Thou  art  just  and  holy.  Thy  Kingdom  is  an 
everlasting  kingdom  and  Thy  dominion  endureth 
throughout  all  generations.  Thou,  Lord,  art 
good,  and  Thy  tender  mercies  are  over  all  Thy 
works,  for  the  Lord  i?  gracious,  and  full  of  com- 
passion, slow  to  anger  and  of  great  mercy.     Thou 


230  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

openest  Thine  hand  and  satisfiest  the  desire  of 
every  living  thing.  Thou  hast  so  loved  us  as  to 
give  Thine  only  begotten  Son  for  our  redemp- 
tion, and  Thine  Ever-present  Spirit  to  move  our 
hearts  toward  Thee.  Grant  us,  O  Lord,  the  joy 
of  Thy  salvation  and  enable  us  while  we  have 
breath  to  praise  and  magnify  our  God.  Our 
worship  and  our  plea  we  thus  present  in  Thine 
own  loving  and  living  Way — Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord.     Amen. 

XXII 

PRAISE  waiteth  for  Thee,  O  God,  in  Zion, 
and  unto  Thee  shall  the  vow  be  performed. 
O  Thou  that  hearest  prayer,  unto  Thee  shall  all 
flesh  come.  Thou  art  worthy,  O  Lord,  to  receive 
glory  and  honor,  and  power;  for  Thou  hast 
created  all  things,  and  for  Thy  pleasure  they  are 
and  were  created.  Thou  didst  say  let  there  be 
light,  and  there  was  light.  Thou  hast  said  "Let 
your  light  so  shine  before  men  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works,"  for  "Ye  are  the  light  of 
the  world."  To  this  end  we  come  unto  Thee,  O 
God,  our  gracious  Redeemer,  that  we  may  experi- 
ence Thy  renewing  power,  and  be  enabled  by  grace 
divine  to  show  forth  the  praise  of  Him  who  ran- 
somed us  by  His  blood,  and  ever  liveth  to  make 
intercession  for  us.  May  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
our  God  be  upon  us,  and  may  we,  and  all  we 
possess,  be  Thine  now  and  forevermore,  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       231 

Confessions,  ipenttence  anO  pleading  tor 
paroon 

XXIII 

HAVE  mercy  upon  us,  O  God,  according  to 
Thy  loving  kindness;  according  to  the 
multitude  of  Thy  tender  mercies  blot  out  our 
transgressions.  Wash  us  thoroughly  from  our 
iniquity,  and  cleanse  us  from  our  sin;  for  we 
acknowledge  our  transgressions,  and  our  sin  is 
ever  before  us.       Amen. 

XXIV 

ALMIGHTY  and  most  merciful  Father,  we 
have  erred  and  strayed  from  Thy  ways 
like  lost  sheep.  We  have  followed  too  much  the 
devices  and  desires  of  our  own  hearts;  we  have 
offended  against  Thy  holy  laws.  We  have  left 
undone  those  things  which  we  ought  to  have 
done;  and  we  have  done  those  things  which  we 
ought  not  to  have  done;  and  there  is  no  health 
in  us.  But  Thou,  O  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  us 
miserable  offenders.  Spare  Thou  them,  O  Lord, 
which  confess  their  faults.  Restore  Thou  them 
that  are  penitent;  according  to  Thy  promises 
declared  unto  mankind  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 
And  grant,  O  most  merciful  Father,  for  His  sake, 
that  we  may  hereafter  live  a  godly,  righteous 
and  sober  life,  to  the  glory  of  Thy  holy  name. 
Amen.  — Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


232  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

XXV 

OGOD,  our  Deliverer,  the  Redeemer  of  men, 
we  rejoice  that  Thou  hast  said,  "Come 
now,  let  us  reason  together;  though  your  sins  be 
as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow;  though 
they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool"; 
for  we  come,  O  merciful  Saviour,  conscious  of 
our  sin  and  desirous  of  feeling  true  contrition  and 
of  turning  to  new  obedience.  O,  accept  us  for 
Thy  mercy's  sake;  cleanse  us.  Lord,  and  grant  us 
fullness  of  life — through  Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 


XXVI 

ALMIGHTY  and  merciful  God,  Fountain  of 
all  goodness,  who  knowest  the  thoughts  of 
our  hearts,  we  confess  unto  Thee  that  we  have 
sinned  against  Thee  and  done  evil  in  Thy  sight. 
Wash  us,  we  beseech  Thee,  from  the  stains  of 
our  past  sins,  and  give  us  grace  and  power  to  put 
away  all  hurtful  things;  so  that  being  delivered 
from  the  bondage  of  sin,  we  may  bring  forth 
worthy  fruits  of  repentance.     Amen. 

— Alcuin,  A.D.,  780. 


o 


XXVII 

LORD  Jesus  Christ,  the  King  of  glory,  who 
art  exalted  at  the  right  hand  of  God  to  be 
Prince    and   Saviour,    to  give   repentance    and 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       233 

remission  of  sins,  Thou  hast  promised  that  where 
two  or  three  are  met  together  in  Thy  name, 
Thou  art  in  the  midst  of  them;  enable  us  in  faith 
to  approach  now  unto  Thee,  and  give  unto  us 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins.  Thou  hast 
invited  the  weary  and  heavy  laden  to  come  unto 
Thee,  and  take  upon  them  Thy  easy  yoke  and 
Thy  light  burden,  that  they  may  find  rest  for 
their  souls;  give  us  grace  thus  to  come  u^nto  Thee 
and  obtain  rest.     Amen.  — Bickersteth. 


XXVIII 

OUR  Heavenly  Father,  God  of  all  power  and 
infinite  love,  we  throw  ourselves  upon  Thy 
tender  compassion  and  plead  for  mercy  we  do  not 
deserve.  We  have  sinned  and  done  despite  to 
Thy  Holy  Spirit,  bringing  discredit  upon  the 
name  we  bear.  Oft  times  we  have  vowed  to  do 
better  and  have  broken  our  vows.  Oh,  how  often 
we  have  stood  at  the  bar  of  conscience,  con- 
demned, and  in  our  own  sight  abashed!  O  God, 
have  mercy  upon  us,  for  once  again,  drawn  by 
Thy  light  and  Thy  love,  we  come  in  penitence 
and  plead  for  forgiveness.  Hear  us,  oh,  hear 
us,  and  out  of  past  feebleness  bring  forth  by 
Thine  infinite  might  a  higher  life  and  greater 
strength.  Restore  unto  us  the  joy  of  Thy  salva- 
tion, then  shall  Vv^e  teach  transgressors  Thy  ways 
and  sinners  shall  be  converted  unto  Thee.    Amen. 


234  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

VoxoB  auD  Consecration 

XXIX 

WHAT  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all 
His  benefits  toward  me?  I  will  take  the 
cup  of  salvation  and  call  upon  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  I  will  pay  my  vows  unto  the  Lord,  yea, 
in  the  presence  of  all  His  people.  Amen. — (Ps. 
ii6:  12-14.) 

XXX 

RESTORE  unto  me  the  joy  of  Thy  salvation 
and  uphold  me  with  Thy  free  spirit;  then 
will  I  teach  transgressors  Thy  ways  and  sinners 
shall  be  converted  unto  Thee.  Amen.  —  (Ps. 
51:12-13.) 

XXXI 

ETERNAL  God,  who  by  Thy  holy  breath  of 
power  makest  us  a  new  creation  for  Thy- 
self, we  beseech  Thee  to  preserve  what  Thou  hast 
created,  and  consecrate  what  Thou  hast  cleansed; 
that  by  Thy  holy  grace  we  may  be  found  in  that 
form,  the  thought  of  which  ever  dwells  with 
Thee,  and  which  Thou  wiliest  fulfilled  in  man. 
Amen.  — Howland  Williams. 

XXXII 

GRANT  us,  we  beseech  Thee,    almighty  and 
most   merciful    God,    fervently   to   desire, 
wisely  to  search  out,  and  perfectly  to  fulfill,  all 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      235 

that  is  pleasing  unto  Thee.  Order  Thou  our 
worldly  condition  to  the  glory  of  Thy  name;  and, 
of  all,  that  Thou  requirest  us  to  do,  grant  us  the 
knowledge,  the  desire  and  the  ability,  that  we 
may  so  fulfil  it  as  we  ought,  and  may  our  path  to 
Thee,  we  pray,  be  safe,  straightforward,  and  per- 
fect to  the  end.    .    .    .     Amen. 

— Adapted  from  St.  Thomas  Aquinas. 

XXXIII 

OUR  God  and  Father,  who  hast  invited  us  to 
present  our  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy 
and  acceptable  unto  Thee,  we  come  that  we  may 
dedicate  ourselves  to  Thy  service.  Accept  our 
offering,  we  pray,  and  grant  that  with  full  conse- 
cration we  may  yield  our  wills  to  Thine,  and 
submit  all  our  desires  and  ambitions  to  Thy 
glory.  Our  time  and  talents,  all  we  have  and 
are,  we  lay  at  Thy  disposal,  and  desire  Thee,  so 
to  perfect  our  offering  that  the  words  of  our 
mouth,  and  the  work  of  our  hands,  may  glorify  Thy 
name  and  advance  Thy  kingdom.  So  renew  us 
by  Thy  grace,  so  purify  us  by  Thy  love,  that  our 
vows  of  consecration  shall  be  kept  and  our  whole 
life  be  thine,  now,  henceforth  and  forever.    Amen. 

XXXIV 

BLESSED  God,  it  is  with  the  utmost  solem- 
nity that  I  make  this  surrender  of  myself 
to  Thee.       Hear,    O   heavens,    and   give   ear,  O 


236  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

earth;  I  avouch  the  Lord  this  day  to  be  my  God; 
and  I  avouch  and  declare  myself  this  day  to  be 
one  of  His  covenant  children.  Hear,  O  Thou 
God  of  heaven,  and  record  it  in  the  book  of  Thy 
remembrance,  that  henceforth  I  am  Thine — 
entirely  Thine.  I  would  not  merely  consecrate 
unto  Thee  some  of  my  powers,  or  some  of  my 
possessions,  or  give  Thee  a  certain  proportion  of 
my  services,  or  all  I  am  capable  of  for  a  limited 
time;  but  I  would  be  wholly  Thine,  and  Thine 
forever.  From  this  day,  I  would  solemnly 
renounce  all  the  former  lords  which  have  had 
dominion  over  me;  every  sin  and  lust;  and  bid 
in  Thy  name  an  eternal  defiance  to  the  powers 
of  hell,  which  have  most  unjustly  usurped  the 
empire  over  my  soul,  and  to  all  the  corruptions 
which  their  fatal  temptations  have  introduced 
into  it.  The  whole  frame  of  my  nature,  all  the 
faculties  of  my  mind,  and  all  the  members  of  my 
body,  would  I  present  before  Thee  this  day  "as  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  unto  God," 
which  I  know  to  be  my  most  reasonable  service. 
To  Thee  I  consecrate  all  my  worldly  possessions; 
in  Thy  service  I  desire  to  spend  all  the  remainder 
of  my  time  on  earth,  and  beg  that  Thou  wouldst 
instruct  and  influence  me,  so  that  whether  my 
abode  here  be  longer  or  shorter,  every  year  and 
month,  every  day  and  hour,  may  be  used  in  such 
a  manner  as  shall  most  effectually  promote  Thine 
honor,  and  subserve  the  design  of  Thy  wise  and 
gracious  providence.     And  I  earnestly  pray  that 


A   COLLECTION  OF   PRAYERS       237 

whatever  influence  Thou  givest  me  over  others  in 
any  of  the  superior  relations  of  life  in  which  I 
may  stand,  or  in  consequence  of  any  peculiar 
regard  which  may  be  paid  me,  Thou  wouldst 
give  me  the  strength  and  courage  to  exert  myself 
to  the  utmost  for  Thy  glory;  resolving  not  only 
that  I  will  myself  do  it,  but  that  all  others,  so  far 
as  I  can  influence  them,  shall  serve  the  Lord. 

In  this  course,  O  blessed  God,  would  I  steadily 
persevere  to  the  very  end  of  life,  earnestly  pray- 
ing that  every  future  day  of  it  may  supply  the 
differences  and  correct  the  irregularities  of  the 
former;  and  that  I  may,  by  divine  grace,  be 
enabled  not  only  to  hold  on  in  that  happy  way, 
but  daily  to  grow  more  active  in  it.     Amen. 

— Philip  Doddridge. 


XXXV 

OLORD;  I  know  not  what  I  should  ask  of 
Thee,  Thou  only  knowest  what  I  want;  and 
Thou  lovest  me,  if  I  am  Thy  friend,  better  than 
I  can  love  myself.  O  Lord;  give  to  me.  Thy 
child,  what  is  proper,  whatsoever  it  may  be.  I 
dare  not  ask  either  crosses  or  comforts.  I  only 
present  myself  before  Thee.  I  open  my  heart  to 
Thee.  Behold  my  wants  which  I  myself  am 
ignorant  of;  but  do  Thou  behold,  and  do  accord- 
ing to  Thy  mercy.  Smite  or  heal.  Depress  me 
or  raise  me  up.  I  adore  all  Thy  purposes  with- 
out knowing  them.     I  am  silent.     I  offer  myself 


238  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

in  sacrifice.  I  abandon  myself  to  Thee.  I  have 
no  more  any  desire  but  to  accomplish  Thy  will. 
Lord,  teach  me  how  to  pray.  Dwell  Thou  Thy- 
self in  me  by  Thy  Holy  Spirit.     Amen. 

— Fenelon,  1651-1715. 

XXXVI 

OLORD;  reveal  to  us,  we  pray  Thee,  how 
with  all  the  hosts  of  heaven  and  with  Thy- 
self the  Son  on  earth,  and  with  all  the  men  of  faith 
who  have  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth,  obedience 
to  God  is  our  highest  privilege,  because  it  gives 
us  access  to  oneness  with  Himself  in  that  which 
is  His  highest  glory— His  all-perfect  will — and 
reveal  to  us,  we  pray  Thee,  how,  in  keeping  Thy 
commandments  and  bearing  fruit  according  to 
Thy  will,  our  spiritual  nature  will  grow  up  to  the 
perfect  stature  of  the  perfect  man,  with  power  to 
ask  and  to  receive  what  we  will. 

O  Lord  Jesus;  reveal  Thyself  to  us,  and  the 
reality  of  Thy  purpose  and  Thy  power  to  make 
these  wonderful  promises  the  daily  experience  of 
all  who  utterly  yield  themselves  to  Thee  and  Thy 
words.     Amen.  — Andrew  Murray. 


A   COLLECTION   OF    PRAYERS      239 

XXXVII 

OUR  Father,  unto  Thee,  in  the  light  of  our 
Saviour's  blessed  life,  we  would  lift  our 
souls.  We  thank  Thee  for  that  true  light  shining 
in  our  world  with  still  increasing  brightness. 
We  thank  Thee  for  all  who  have  walked  therein, 
and  especially  for  those  near  to  us  and  dear,  in 
whose  lives  we  have  seen  this  excellent  glory  and 
beauty.  May  we  know  that  in  the  body  and  out 
of  the  body  they  are  with  Thee,  and  that  when 
these  earthly  days  come  to  an  end,  it  is  not  that 
our  service  of  Thee  and  of  one  another  may 
cease,  but  that  it  may  begin  anew.  Make  us 
glad  in  all  who  have  faithfully  lived;  make  us 
glad  in  all  who  have  peacefully  died.  Lift  us 
into  light  and  love  and  purity  and  blessedness, 
and  give  us  at  last  our  portion  with  those  who 
have  trusted  in  Thee  and  sought,  in  small  things, 
as  in  great,  in  things  temporal  and  things  eternal, 
to  do  Thy  holy  will.     Amen.       — Rufus  Ellis. 

XXXVIII 

MOST  Gracious  God,  who  hast  been  infin- 
itely merciful  to  us,  not  only  in  the  year 
past,  but  through  all  the  years  of  our  life,  be 
pleased  to  accept  our  most  unfeigned  thanks  for 
Thine  innumerable  blessings  to  us;  graciously 
pardoning  the  manifold  sins  and  infirmities  of  our 


240  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

life  past,  and  bountifully  bestowing  upon  us  all 
those  graces  and  virtues,  which  may  render  us 
acceptable  to  Thee.  And  every  year  which 
Thou  shalt  be  pleased  to  add  to  our  lives,  add 
also,  we  humbly  implore  Thee,  more  strength  to 
our  faith,  more  ardor  to  our  love,  and  a  greater 
perfection  to  our  obedience;  and  grant  that,  in  a 
humble  sincerity  and  constant  perseverance  we 
may  serve  Thee  most  faithfully  the  remainder  of 
our  lives,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 

— Charles  Dow,  1661-1745. 

XXXIX 

ALMIGHTY  God,  Father  of  all  mercies,  we, 
Thine  unworthy  servants,  do  give  Thee 
most  humble  and  hearty  thanks  for  all  Thy  good- 
ness and  loving  kindness  to  us  and  to  all  men. 
We  bless  Thee  for  our  creation,  preservation,  and 
all  the  blessings  of  this  life;  but  above  all  for 
Thine  inestimable  love  in  the  redemption  of  the 
world  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  means  of 
grace  and  the  hope  of  glory.  And  we  beseech 
Thee,  give  us  that  due  sense  of  all  Thy  mercies, 
that  our  hearts  may  be  unfeignedly  thankful,  and 
that  we  show  forth  Thy  praise,  not  only  with  our 
lips,  but  in  our  lives,  by  giving  up  ourselves  to 
Thy  service  and  by  walking  before  Thee  in  holi- 
ness and  righteousnss  all  our  days;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  to  whom  with  Thee  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  be  all  honor  and  glory,  world  without 
end.     Amen.  — Book  of  Common  Prayer. 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      241 

XL 

ETERNAL  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  we 
rejoice  that  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  has 
risen  upon  us,  and  that  our  souls,  responsive  as 
flowers  to  the  light,  are  lifting  themselves  unto 
Thee.  O  God  of  love,  so  magnify  Thy  power 
upon  us,  that  we  may  worship  Thee  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.  We  rejoice  in  the  love  that  created  us 
in  Thy  image;  we  rejoice  that,  when  sin-smitten 
and  rebellious  we  separated  ourselves  from  Thee, 
still  love  followed  us  and  provided  re-creation 
through  Jesus  Christ;  we  rejoice  in  the  love  of 
Thy  Spirit  now  playing  upon  us  and  quickening 
our  love  into  hunger  and  thirsting.  We  rejoice 
in  the  promise  which  assures  us  that  if  we  hunger 
and  thirst  after  righteousness  we  shall  be  filled. 
Grant  us,  O  triune  God,  the  infilling  of  Thy  Holy 
Spirit.  Open  between  us  and  Thee  that  inflowing 
stream  which  shall  make  in  us  the  upspringing 
well  of  the  water  of  life,  that  our  thirst  may 
never  again  go  unsatisfied.  Enable  us  to  rejoice 
in  past  blessings,  the  wealth  of  which  is  still  rich 
upon  us;  for  present  mercies  multiplied  for  our 
sakes;  and  in  the  knowledge  that  we  shall  be 
satisfied  when  we  awake  in  Thy  likeness. 

We  rejoice  in  the  holy  influences  of  these  heart- 
powers  which  link  us  to  one  another  on  earth; 
for  the  subtle  pow^r  which  makes  a  child  dear  to 
its  parent;  and  links  brother  to  sister,  friend  to 
friend,  with  hooks  stronger  than  tempered  steel; 


242  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

for  the  sacred  force  that  takes  two  lives  and 
makes  them  one  in  conjugal  affection.  O  Love 
Divine,  we  rejoice  in  earthly  examples  of  Thy 
nature,  and  are  grateful  that  on  these  easy  steps 
we  rise  to  realize  in  some  faint  way  the  love  of 
God. 

We  rejoice  in  all  the  good  we  behold  in  our 
fellow  mortals — for  sympathy,  fidelity,  self-sac- 
rifice, for  tenderness  and  mercy,  and  loyalty  in 
time  of  trial. 

We  rejoice  that  man  can  trust  his  fellow  man 
and  anchor  to  him  with  so  much  of  faith. 

And  if,  O  Heart  Eternal,  we  realize  so  much 
of  good  in  the  imperfect  sons  of  men,  help  us  to 
feel  a  more  implicit  faith  in  Thee;  a  growing 
love  for  Thee;  a  love  supreme  we  crave.  Cease 
not  Thy  work  of  grace  upon  us  until  we  come  in 
the  unity  of  the  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Son  of  God  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of  Christ. 
And  this  we  ask,  not  for  our  sakes  alone,  but  for 
His  sake,  who  died  for  us.     Amen. 

Note  :  The  current  of  the  prayer  is  rejoicing. 
The  plan  is  simple,  God,  self,  others. 
Rejoicing  in  God —     Father —    Creation  in  love. 

Son —         Re-creation. 

H.  G.—      Infilling. 
Rejoicing  in  the  good  we  find  already  in  ourselves. 
Rejoicing  in  the  good  we  find  already  in  others. 
Petition —  Perfect  that  good.  Complete  Thy  work. 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      243 

Supplications 

XLI 

LET  the  beauty  of  the  Lord  our  God  be  upon 
us,  that  so  we  may  be  enabled  to  worship 
Thee  in  the  beauty  of  holiness.     Amen. 


XLII 

SO  TEACH  us  to  number  our  days  that  we 
may  apply  our  hearts  unto  wisdom.  O 
God,  the  Saviour  of  men,  redeem  our  lives  from 
destruction,  we  pray,  and  make  us  co-laborers 
with  Thee  for  the  redemption  of  the  world. 
Amen. 

XLIII 

OLORD,  my  God,  Light  of  the  blind  and 
Strength  of  the  weak,  yea,  also.  Light  of 
those  that  see,  and  Strength  of  the  strong; 
hearken  unto  my  soul,  and  hear  it  crying  out  of 
the  depths.     Amen.  — Augustine. 

XLIV 

LET  Thy  will  be  mine,  and  my  will  ever  fol- 
low Thine,  and  agree  perfectly  with  it. 
Grant  to  me,  above  all  things  that  can  be  desired, 
to  rest  in  Thee,  and  in  Thee  to  have  my  heart  in 
peace.     Amen.  — Thomas  a  Kempis. 


244  COMMUNION    WITH   GOD 


XLV 

OGOD,  our  Father,  who  hast  created  us  in 
Thine  image  and  for  Thy  glory,  we  thank 
Thee  that  Thou  hast  inspired  our  souls  to  pray, 
our  hearts  to  love,  and  our  whole  nature  to  hunger 
for  Thee.  Yea,  Lord,  we  rejoice  in  Thy  promise 
that  whosoever  hungers  and  thirsts  after  right- 
eousness shall  be  filled.  Oh,  satisfy  our  worthy 
longings  and  may  we  never  be  fully  satisfied  until 
we  awake  in  Thy  likeness.     Amen. 


XLVI 

OGOD,  infinite,  eternal  and  unchangeable, 
we  desire  to  worship  Thee,  a  Spirit,  in 
spirit  and  in  truth.  Oh,  grant  that  our  worship 
may  be  true  spiritual  communion  in  which  there 
shall  be  imparted  to  us  more  and  more  of  Thy 
being;  endow  us  with  Thy  wisdom,  and  in  our 
weakness  make  perfect  Thy  strength.  May  it  be 
our  joy  through  sanctification  to  attain  unto 
holiness,  so  that  in  our  dealings  one  with  another 
our  justice  shall  be  seasoned  with  the  goodness 
and  the  love  of  our  Redeemer.  O  God,  enable 
us  to  enter  into  Thy  truth  that  Thy  truth  may 
make  us  free,  and  becoming  exponents  of  that 
truth,  may  the  grace  of  Christ  make  our  charac- 
ters luminous  with  His  glory  and  so  shall  we 
share  Thy  life  and  our  lives  advance  Thy  King- 


A  COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      245 

dom.     And  this  we  seek  in  the  spirit  of  Thy  Son, 
our  Saviour.     Amen. 

(Note  the  structure  of  this  prayer  follows  the 
Shorter  Catechism's  definition  of  God.) 


XLVII 

WE  THANK  Thee,  Eternal  Father,  that 
God  so  loved  the  world  as  to  give  His 
only  begotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
Him  should  not  perish  but  have  everlasting  life. 
Enable  us  so  to  believe  that  in  His  life  we  may 
have  life,  and  that  the  same  mind  which  was  in 
Him  may  also  be  in  us. 

May  we  so  know  Christ  and  His  death  that  we 
shall  glory  in  His  cross  and  be  crucified  unto  the 
world. 

May  we  so  know  Christ  and  the  power  of  His 
resurrection  that  as  He  was  raised  from  the 
dead,  we  also  may  walk  in  newness  of  life. 

May  we  so  know  Christ  and  His  ascension  that 
we  may  seek  those  things  that  are  above  and 
dwell  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus. 

May  we  so  know  Christ  and  His  second  coming 
that  watchfully  and  joyfully  we  may  await  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  with  our  lamps  burning  and 
our  loins  girt. 

And  may  we  so  know  Christ  as  Judge  of  quick 
and  dead  as  to  give  in  our  account  with  joy,  and 
receive  His  welcome  "Well  done,  good  and  faith- 


246  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

ful  servant;  enter  ye  into  the  joy  of  Thy  Lord," 
and  so  shall  we  praise  Thee  forever.     Amen. 

Prayer  No.  47  is  arranged  on  the  following 
plan:  Christ's  life,  death,  resurrection,  ascension, 
second  coming,  and  judgeship. 


XLVIII 

WE  PUT  our  life  into  Thy  care  day  by  day. 
We  know  not  where  its  last  breathings 
shall  be;  help  us  therefore  to  be  diligent  with  all 
care  and  filial  anxiety  to  do  that  which  is  right  in 
Thy  sight,  and  to  make  the  most  of  our  day  and 
generation.  Deliver  us  from  the  torment  of 
fear;  save  us  from  the  hell  of  despondency; 
create  in  us  that  happiness,  that  overflowing 
joyousness  which  comes  of  complete  trust  in 
God.  May  we  not  give  way  to  the  temptations 
of  the  evil  one;  may  our  fears  never  multiply 
themselves  against  us  to  the  extinction  of  our 
hope,  and  in  the  darkest  night  may  we  see  some 
distant  and  trembling  star;  in  the  coldest  winter 
may  there  come  upon  us  now  and  again  some 
gleam  of  light  that  tells  of  the  summer  that  is 
yet  to  dawn.  In  all  the  way  that  we  take  give 
us  guidance.  Ensure  unto  us  defence,  then  shall 
our  steps  be  steady,  and  they  shall  all  point 
towards  the  city  of  light  and  the  city  of  rest. 

Thou  knowest  what  we  need;  grant  unto  us,  we 
humbly  pray  Thee,  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      247 

of  Jesus  Christ,  that  which  our  hearts  most  truly 
require.  Wherein  our  words  do  not  express 
our  needs,  do  Thou  not  hear  those  words,  nor 
answer  them;  wherein  we  are  inspired  to  speak 
our  real  and  vital  wants  do  Thou  command  Thy 
blessing  to  rest  upon  us,  even  life  forever  more. 
Pity  us  when  we  are  infirm  and  little  in  soul  and 
in  purpose;  save  us  when  we  are  most  conscious 
of  our  aggravated  guilt;  fill  our  vision  with  Thy 
beauty  when  that  which  is  of  the  earth  and  time 
would  tempt  us  with  its  meaner  attractions. 
Amen.  — Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 


XLIX 

OTHOU,  who  art  the  true  sun  of  the  world, 
evermore  rising,  and  never  going  down; 
who,  by  Thy  most  wholesome  appearing  and 
sight  dost  nourish,  and  make  joyful  all  things, 
as  well  that  are  in  heaven,  as  also  that  are  on 
earth;  we  beseech  Thee  mercifully  and  favorably 
to  shine  into  our  hearts  that  the  night  and  dark- 
ness of  sin,  and  the  mists  of  terror  on  every  side 
being  driven  away,  Thou  brightly  shining  within 
our  hearts,  we  may  all  our  life  long  go  without 
any  stumbling  or  offence,  and  may  walk  as  in  the 
daytime,  being  pure  and  clean  from  the  works 
of  darkness,  and  abounding  in  all  good  works 
which  Thou  hast  prepared  for  us  to  walk  in. 
Amen.  — Erasmus,  1467-1536. 


248  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 


NOW  we  ask,  O  God,  if  there  are  those  in 
Thy  presence  who  are  rejoicing  before 
Thee,  who  have  learned  that  Thou  art  gracious, 
who  know  of  a  surety  that  there  is  a  life  hidden 
with  Christ,  more  blessed  and  joyful  than  any  dis- 
closed life  of  earthly  pleasure  or  success,  if 
to-day  they  offer  up  their  tribute  of  thanksgiving 
and  of  gratitude,  be  pleased  to  accept  it  at  their 
hands;  and  if  they  can  prevail  in  prayer,  may 
they  not  forget  those  round  about  them  that  are 
struggling  as  once  they  were.  May  their  prayers 
to-day  go  forth  for  all  their  Christian  brethren, 
for  their  more  perfect  emancipation  and  for  a 
more  perfect  disclosure  of  the  power  of  Christ  in 
their  souls.     Amen.  — Beecher. 


LI 

ALMIGHTY  God,  who  hast  given  us  grace 
at  this  time  with  one  accord  to  make  our 
common  supplications  unto  Thee,  and  who  dost 
promise  that  when  two  or  three  are  gathered 
together  in  Thy  name  Thou  wilt  grant  their 
requests,  fulfill  now,  O  Lord,  the  desires  and 
petitions  of  Thy  servants,  as  may  be  most  expe- 
dient for  them.  Grant  us  in  this  world  knowl- 
edge of  Thy  truth,  and  in  the  world  to  come  life 
everlasting.     Amen.  — Chrysostom. 


A   COLLECTION    OF   PRAYERS      249 


(General  f  ntercesstons 

LII 

OGOD,  who  hast  taught  us  to  make  supplica- 
tions, prayers,  intercessions  and  giving  of 
thanks  for  all  men,  we  beseech  Thee  to  receive 
these  our  prayers  which  we  offer  humbly  to  Thy 
Divine  Majesty.  Remember  in  Thy  mercy,  His 
Most  Gracious  Majesty,  the  King;  preserve  his 
person  in  health  and  strength,  his  crown  in 
honor  and  dignity,  his  dominions  in  peace  and 
plenty;  keep  him  perpetually  in  Thy  fear  and 
favor,  and  at  last  may  he  receive  that  crown  of 
life  which  Thou  hast  promised  to  them  that  love 
Thee.  May  Thy  rich  blessing  also  be  upon  all 
the  members  of  the  Royal  Family.  We  pray  for 
His  Majesty's  Ministers  and  counsellors,  for 
judges  and  magistrates,  and  for  all  who  are  in 
authority.  Enlighten  and  guide  them,  and  so 
direct  the  affairs  of  this  nation  that  righteousness 
and  truth,  peace  and  contentment  may  every- 
where prevail. 

We  commend  to  Thine  almighty  guardianship 
the  army  and  navy  and  all  who  are  exposed  to 
danger  by  sea  or  by  land.  Remember  in  Thy 
mercy  the  poor  and  needy,  the  widows  and 
fatherless,  the  strangers  and  the  friendless,  the 
sick  and  the  dying.  Relieve  their  needs,  sanc- 
tify their  sufferings,  strengthen  their  weakness, 
and  in  due  time  grant  them  a  happy  issue  out  of 


250  COMMUNION    WITH    GOD 

all  their  afflictions.  Regard  with  Thy  favor  our 
kindred  and  all  who  are  dear  to  us.  Unite  us  in 
the  bonds  of  a  common  faith  and  hope;  and 
inspire  us  with  mutual  love,  gentleness  and 
forbearance,  that  we  may  walk  before  Thee  in  our 
homes  with  a  perfect  heart. 

Eternal  God,  with  whom  do  rest  the  spirits  of 
just  men  made  perfect;  we  bless  and  praise  Thy 
holy  name  for  all  Thy  servants  departed  this  life 
in  Thy  faith  and  fear;  and  especially  for  those 
most  dear  to  us  who  have  fallen  asleep  in  Jesus; 
and  we  beseech  Thee  to  give  us  grace  to  follow 
their  good  example,  that  we  may  continue  united 
to  them  in  fellowship  of  spirit,  and  that  finally  we 
may  be  gathered  together  in  Thy  heavenly  King- 
dom, through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord.  Amen. 
— Social  Worship,  adapted. 

LIII 

REMEMBER  the  young  that  are  in  our 
presence.  Bless  the  parents  that  are  en- 
deavoring to  rear  up  a  generation  to  fear  and 
serve  God.  Bless  those  that  are  as  teachers  who 
are  endeavoring  to  co-operate  with  parents  in  the 
religious  instruction  of  their  children.  Bless, 
we  beseech  Thee,  those  that  are  coming  forth  out 
of  infancy  into  youth;  may  they  not  be  imper- 
illed in  virtue;  and  those  that  are  emerging  from 
youth  into  manhood,  we  pray  that  they  may  not 
be  tempted  more   than   they  can  bear,  but  may 


A   COLLECTION   OF    PRAYERS      251 

they  walk  from  youth  to  manhood  with  honor 
unclouded,  consecrating  the  morning  of  life  to 
virtue  and  religion;  may  more  of  such  dwell 
under  our  roofs;  may  peace  abide  in  our  house- 
holds, and  may  there  be  more  and  more  coming 
from  the  altar  of  the  family  and  the  altar  of  the 
church  to  bear  public  witness  to  the  fidelity  of 
the  teaching  of  their  parents.  Bless  us  in  the 
further  work,  labor,  and  joy  of  the  sanctuary; 
and  prepare  us  for  all  its  sweet  and  solemn  serv- 
ices. Be  with  us  while  we  live,  and  grant  that 
thus  we  may  be  with  Thee  in  eternal  life,  and 
we  will  give  the  praise  to  Father,  Son  and  Spirit. 
Amen.  — Henry  Ward  Beecher,  D.D. 

LIV 

THE  Lord  hear  us  on  account  of  those  who 
never  pray  for  themselves;  those  who  are 
aliens  and  prodigals,  who  have  broken  every  vow, 
and  dishonored  every  covenant,  and  have  gone 
far  away  into  the  bleak  wilderness  of  iniquity — 
the  Lord's  Gospel  flee  after  them  like  a  saving 
angel  and  flash  upon  them  some  of  the  home- 
light  or  strike  into  their  hearts  some  tender 
chord  that  will  bring  them  back  again,  that  there 
may  be  rejoicing  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  The 
Lord's  light  make  our  morning  glad;  the  beauty 
of  the  Lord  Himself  be  upon  us,  making  our 
souls  lovely  with  His  presence  and  strong  with 
His  grace.     Amen.  — Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 


252  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

LV 

HEAR  us,  when  we  pray  for  one  another; 
when  we  pray  for  heads  of  houses  that 
they  may  be  clothed  with  wisdom,  sobriety  and 
grace;  for  children,  that  they  may  be  brought  up 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord;  for 
masters  and  servants  that  they  may  understand 
and  help  one  another;  for  the  sick  and  the 
afflicted,  that  in  their  weakness  they  may  see  the 
incoming  of  Christ  bringing  with  Him  health  and 
immortality;  for  the  distant  and  wandering,  those 
from  whom  we  are  for  the  moment  separated, 
that  there  may  be  no  division  of  soul  or  distraction 
of  love,  but  that  though  far  apart  we  may  yet  be 
one  in  affection  and  godly  desire.     Amen. 

— Joseph  Parker,  D.D. 


LVI 

OLORD  Jesus  Christ,  the  Chief  Shepherd 
and  Bishop  of  our  souls,  who,  when  Thou 
didst  ascend  on  high,  and  led  captivity  captive, 
didst  give  gifts  to  men  —  some  apostles,  some 
prophets,  and  some  evangelists,  and  some  pas- 
tors and  teachers  for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints, 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  for  the  edifying 
of  the  body  of  Christ — we  beseech  Thee  gra- 
ciously to  look  upon  all  whom  Thou  dost  call  to 
minister  Thy  Gospel,  and  pour  upon  them  Thy 
abundant    blessing.      Greatly  enrich   them   with 


A   COLLECTION   OF  PRAYERS       253 

spiritual  gifts  and  endowments  according  to 
Thine  infinite  fullness  and  the  multiplied  wants 
of  Thy  church.  Raise  up  sons  of  thunder  to 
awaken  the  careless;  sons  of  consolation  to  com- 
fort the  mourners;  eloquent  men  to  convince 
mightily  the  ignorant;  good  men  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  much  people  may  be  added  to  the 
Lord;  faithful  men,  like  Timothy,  naturally  car- 
ing for  the  state  of  the  people;  and  devout  men, 
like  Epaphras,  always  laboring  fervently  for 
them  in  prayer.  And,  O  Lord,  uphold  Thy 
ministers  and  strengthen  them,  that  their  faith 
fail  not.  Make  them  wise  to  win  souls.  Endue 
their  words  with  heavenly  power;  let  them  be 
like  fire,  burning  away  the  dross,  and  like  the 
dew  strengthening,  reviving  and  refreshing  the 
hearts  of  Thy  people.  Send  them  help  from  Thy 
sanctuary,  and  strengthen  them  out  of  Zion;  so 
that  Thy  word  may  have  free  course  and  be  glori- 
fied in  all  the  earth.  Hear  us  for  Thy  name'.«5 
sake.     Amen.  — Prof.  Wm.  Gregg,  D.D. 


254  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

General  ©racers 

A   MODEL   PULPIT    PRAYER — STRUCTURE,    SENTIMENT 
AND   EXPRESSION    EXEMPLARY 

LVII 

OGOD!  eternal  and  ever  blessed!  known  to 
us  by  many  names,  but  best  known  by  the 
name  of  Father;  we.  Thy  children,  born  of  Thy 
great  earthly  family,  come  to  worship  and  to 
meditate  in  Thy  presence.  Give  to  us  such 
recognition  of  Thy  Fatherhood  as  shall  move  us 
to  filial  trust  in  Thee  and  to  fraternal  interest  in 
each  other.  We  give  Thee  thanks  that  Thou  hast 
unveiled  Thyself  to  our  eyes  and  to  our  hearts, 
and  made  known  the  mystery  without  which  our 
hearts  were  shrivelled  and  dead.  We  bless  Thee 
for  all  Thou  hast  spoken  of  Thyself  in  Thy  works 
around  us,  in  the  majesty  and  beauty  of  the  hills 
SLiA  the  beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  dales.  W^e 
thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast  made  Thy  goings 
known  in  history  and  hast  spoken  through  the 
lips  and  lives  of  men.  We  bless  Thee,  above  all, 
that  Thou  hast  crowned  Thy  revelation  in  Jesus 
Christ,  showing  Thyself  to  us  in  Him,  and  show- 
ing us  in  Him  to  ourselves.  .  .  .  We  bless  Thee 
for  all  that  Christ  was  in  our  midst,  for  that  child- 
hood that  has  sanctified  child-life  in  all  lands  and 
ages.  For  His  words  of  wondrous  grace;  for 
His  works  of  generous  and  large-thoughted  care; 
for  His  life  of  patient  endurance;  for  the  joy  that 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      255 

rang  beneath  all  the  disturbance  of  His  lot;  for 
the  calmness  of  His  faith  in  Thee;  for  the  con- 
stancy of  His  vision  of  Thy  presence  and  love, 
we  bless  Thee,  O  God.  And  for  the  great  mys- 
tery about  which,  and  in  the  presence  of  which, 
we  fall  smitten  with  dumbness,  the  dumbness  of 
a  reverence  that  meditates,  and  ponders,  and 
uplifts  itself.  We  stand  before  His  cross,  the 
cross  made  dark  for  an  hour  by  the  concentrated 
guilt  of  men.  Yea,  the  cross  now  made  and  for- 
ever made  light  by  Thy  grace,  light  by  the  prom- 
ise of  forgiveness  and  life  for  men. 

May  we  this  night  stand  before  His  cross, 
meditating  on  Him  until  the  spirit  of  His  cruci- 
fixion pass  into  us,  and  we  with  Him  die  unto 
sin,  that  we  with  Him  may  rise  unto  newness  of 
life.  We  give  Thee  thanks  for  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Spirit;  we  bless  Thee  for  the  presence  of 
the  Spirit  in  all  the  churches  and  in  all  the  ages. 
We  bless  Thee  for  the  presence  of  the  Spirit  out- 
side the  churches,  working  in  the  thoughts  and 
the  hopes  and  the  aspirations  of  men.  For  all 
that  has  been  accomplished  by  His  presence  and 
quickening,  we  give  Thee  thanks  to-night.  For 
the  broadening  vision,  and  all  we  have  learned 
in  these  latter  days  of  His  presence,  and  for 
chastened  and  sweetened  faith,  we  give  Thee 
thanksgivings.  And  our  prayer  is,  that  as  dis- 
ciples of  Him  who  came  to  save  and  to  bless,  we 
to-night  may  share  alike  the  toil  and  the  joy  of 
His  Spirit,  feel  the  pain  that   He  felt  when  He 


256  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

looked  on  suffering  and  sin;  and  by  it  be  moved 
as  He  was  moved  to  go  forth  with  light  and  heal- 
ing. For  lo!  Thou  hast  blessed  us  where  Thou, 
O  Christ,  Thyself  dost  walk  amidst  suffering  and 
sin  and  darkness.  Here,  as  around  Thee  on 
earth,  are  gathered  all  kinds  and  manners  of  dis- 
eases. There  are  blind  men  here,  with  their  eyes 
wide  open,  who  need  to  have  the  inner  vision 
touched  into  sight;  there  are  men  who  can  run  in 
the  way  of  their  own  aggrandisement,  but  do  not 
ever  walk  in  the  way  of  Thy  commandment. 
Here  are  hands  cunning  enough  and  swift  enough 
at  handicrafts  that  make  for  gain,  that  are  with- 
ered and  paralyzed  in  the  presence  of  the  needs 
and  calls  of  men.  O  Christ  of  ancient  power! 
O  Christ  who  didst  send  light  into  the  eyeballs 
of  the  blind,  and  called  the  dead  from  the  grave, 
and  stirred  new  life  into  the  hand  that  was  par- 
alyzed! Speak  to  us.  Give  us  light;  give  us 
sight,  give  us  quick  responsive  power  when  Thou 
callest,  and  make  us  a  body  of  Thy  men,  of  Thy 
women — not  holding  Thy  name  to  blaspheme  it, 
or  to  bring  misery  and  shame  before  it,  but  hold- 
ing it  aloft  in  our  life,  a  life  consecrated  and 
sanctified  by  the  truths  of  Thy  grace. 

Look  down  upon  us  in  this  assembly  to-night, 
we  beseech  Thee.  We  have  come  into  Thy  house 
that  we  may  fit  ourselves  for  life's  battle,  when 
we  go  forth  to  life's  tasks  and  toils.  Be  very 
gracious  to  each  of  us;  call  us  into  that  inner 
sanctuary   which    Thou   hast   prepared    in    Thy 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      257 

heart,  and  in  the  stillness  speak  the  word,  which 
shall  conquer  passion  and  disturb  the  hard- 
hearted selfishness  and  put  to  rout  the  doubts  and 
fears  that  are  born  of  our  contact  with  the  earth, 
and  shall  fill  us  with  the  sweetness  and  the  gra- 
ciousness  of  the  Christ  whose  name  we  bear.  Let 
Thy  blessing  come  upon  this  Church,  O  God. 
We  give  Thee  thanks  for  the  past  of  its  ministry; 
for  all  the  hours,  sacred  and  elevating,  which 
men  have  spent  here  together,  thinking  of  Thee. 
For  all  the  souls  that  have  been  quickened,  for 
all  lives  that  have  been  changed,  for  all  children 
that  have  been  trained  to  the  knowledge  of  their 
Saviour,  and  for  all  those  moving  through  the 
valley  of  the  shadow  of  death  whose  last  hours 
have  been  lightened  and  brightened  by  the  truths 
and  memories  of  this  sanctuary.  We  give  Thee 
thanks  to-night,  for  the  voices  that  have  spoken 
here,  now  singing  a  better  song  and  singing  it  in 
harmony,  we  bless  Thee,  O  Lord.  Let  the  past, 
with  its  rich  memories,  be  a  call  to  all  who  re- 
main to  carry  forward  Thy  Word,  to  speak  Thy 
message,  to  go  forth  to  Thy  wandering  ones,  and 
to  make  this  place  yet  once  again  bright  and 
beautiful  with  the  presence  of  men  changed  by 
the  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  lifted  into  newness  of 
life.  O  Christ,  around  us  here,  still  throng  the 
needy,  suffering  and  sinful.  Here,  too,  are  dark 
places  of  cruelty  in  our  own  town  and  city. 
Here,  too,  are  heathen,  living  without  God; 
heathen  in  the  slums;  aye,   and  heathen   in  the 


258  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

mansions.  Help  us  to  go  after  them  all  with  the 
only  light  which  Thou  hast  given,  the  only  light 
that  can  reach  and  save  and  make  this  church  yet 
a  body  of  earnest,  pious,  devoted,  successful 
workers  for  Thee,  going  forth  in  the  power  of  Thy 
might  and  sharing  the  joy  of  Thy  victory.  Bless 
this  whole  city  which  sweeps  round  us;  bless  all 
the  churches  and  ministers  of  all  denominations, 
and  all  who,  outside  the  churches,  are  seeking 
to  elevate  and  rescue  men  and  women.  Speed 
Thou  all,  we  pray  Thee,  and  may  the  Kingdom 
of  Christ  be  realized  in  our  land  as  it  has  never 
been  realized  yet.  May  all  the  truths  and  hopes 
of  our  religion  translate  themselves  into  living 
forms  of  service  and  of  life.  And  may  the 
beauty  of  holiness  come  over  our  land,  and  may 
there  be  righteousness  and  peace  and  content 
within  our  borders.  From  us  may  there  shine 
the  light  that  shall  bring  peace  to  the  nations,  and 
hasten  the  completion  of  the  Kingdom.  Hear  us 
in  the  prayers  we  have  spoken,  and  in  the  larger 
and  deeper  prayers  for  which  there  is  no  speech 
nor  language;  and  do  for  us  far  more  exceeding 
abundantly  above  all  we  can  ask  or  think;  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

—Charles  A.  Berry,  D.D. 


LVIII 

Note    the    high   spiritual    ideal   and    manliness 
which  desires  "to  be  as  Christ  was  in  the  world," 


A   COLLECTION    OF    PRAYERS       259 

which  longs  to  know  and  then  to  fulfill  the  wide 
measure  of  Christian  duty.) 

OLORD,  we  thank  Thee  for  Thine  infinite 
patience;  we  thank  Thee  that  Thou  suffer- 
est  long  and  bearest  with  us  still.  We  would  not 
presume  upon  Thy  patience,  but  would  seek  to 
draw  near  to  Thee  now  with  reverence,  remem- 
bering Thine  infinite  majesty,  and  how  Thou  art 
exalted  above  our  knowledge.  We  seek  to  bow 
before  Thee  and  to  cherish  some  right  thoughts 
of  Thee,  thankful  that  while  Thy  power  in  main- 
taining and  upholding  this  physical  universe  is 
far  above  our  thoughts,  so  also  is  Thy  spiritual 
power,  Thy  light,  and  holiness  and  goodness. 
Teach  us  to  pray,  give  us  the  spring  of  all  true 
prayer.  Give  us  a  sincere  willingness  to  be 
made  holy  and  become  Thy  children  indeed,  to 
be  loosed  from  the  power  of  sin,  to  accept  the 
responsibilities  of  spiritual  life,  to  face  all  the 
arduousness  and  self-sacrifice  of  the  spiritual  life. 
Make  us  willing,  O  God,  to  be  as  Christ  was  in 
the  world.  We  pray  Thee,  that  what  we  know 
to  be  evil  in  us  we  may  have  resolution,  through 
Thy  grace,  to  repress  and  cast  from  us.  May  we 
be  able  to  trust  Thy  goodness  and  Thy  wisdom. 
May  we  be  able  to  trust  the  light  that  is  in  us; 
grant  that  none  of  us  may  be  found  darkening  that 
'light  so  that  we  shall  be  left  entirely  in  outer  dark- 
ness. Lord,  give  us  truer  apprehension  of  our  rela- 
tion to  Thee,  and  a  sincere  desire  to  apprehend 


26o  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

it.  Grant  that  we  may  be  willing  to  accept  all  the 
requirements  that  fall  to  us  from  our  relationship 
to  Thee.  May  we  be  willing  to  do  the  duties 
that  fall  to  us  as  Christian  people  and  followers 
of  Christ.  May  we  be  willing  to  cast  off  the 
bondage  which  this  world  throws  upon  us. 
Grant  that  we  may  be  able  safely  to  pass  through 
all  its  temptations.  May  our  experience  of  life 
in  this  world  tend  only  to  our  permanent  good; 
may  it  in  no  one  of  us  produce  selfishness,  hard- 
ness, or  bitterness,  or  any  evil  spirit  or  temper. 
Grant  that  rather  our  experience  of  this  life  may 
lead  us  to  a  sincerer  desire  to  be  profitable  to  our 
fellows,  to  a  truer  dependence  upon  Thee,  our 
God,  to  a  sincerer  acceptance  of  the  duties  Thou 
layest  upon  us  as  Thy  children  and  people. 
Grant  that  we  may  have  that  higher  tone  in  con- 
duct, that  truer  and  sincerer  devotedness  to  what 
is  good,  that  purer  conscience,  that  deeper 
truthfulness  that  come  from  fellowship  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Give  us  some  growth  in  the 
divine  life  that  we  may  be  encouraged  in  it,  that 
we  may  not  feel  that  in  us  are  obstacles  that  can- 
not be  removed.  We  pray  Thee  that  Thou 
wouldst  advance  these  ends  in  us  to-day.  May 
we  believe  Thy  Word;  may  we  accept  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  may  we  rely  upon 
it  as  absolutely  true;  may  we  yield  ourselves  to 
Him  and  so  learn  of  Him.  Bless  Thou  all  who 
are  now  meeting  as  we  are  meeting  Lord,  we 
beseech  Thee  that  Thou  in  Thine  infinite  spiritual 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       261 

power  wouldst  draw  near  to  men  and  cause  them 
to  know  Thee  and  humble  themselves  before 
Thee.  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  men  every- 
where may  listen  to  Thy  Word  with  hopefulness 
and  acceptance.  Hear  us,  for  Christ's  sake. 
Amen.  — Marcus  Dods,  D.D. 


OGOD,  our  God,  our  Fortress  and  our  Deliv- 
erer, with  joy  we  turn  our  faces  towards 
Thee.  When  we  come  to  Thee  our  weakness  is 
of  service  to  us,  for  it  teaches  us  to  look  to  the 
Strong  for  strength.  We  are  driven  by  our  own 
insufficiency  to  fly  to  the  all-sufficiency  of  God. 
We  thank  Thee  for  our  sense  of  weakness.  We 
do  not  wish  to  have  it  diminished,  but  rather 
increased,  for  we  glory  in  infirmities  that  the 
power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon  us.  May  we 
always  delight  in  our  Father's  will,  and  though, 
for  the  present,  no  chastisement  seemeth  joyous, 
but  grievous,  we  thank  Thee,  Lord,  that  when 
the  rivers  have  been  deepest  they  have  never 
drowned  us,  and  when  the  fires  have  been  hot- 
test, they  have  not  kindled  upon  us.  Here  we 
are,  the  living,  to  praise  the  almighty  preserving 
power  of  God.  O  Lord,  Thou  hast  given  us 
strength  equal  to  our  day,  and  oftentimes  great 
difficulties  have  vanished  before  us.  We  have 
been  like  the  holy  women  at  the  sepulchre.  We 
have  said,  "Who  shall  roll  away  the  stone?"  and 


262  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

when  we  have  come  to  the  place  the  stone  has 
been  rolled  away. 

"Streams  of  mercy  never  ceasing, 
Call  for  songs  of  loudest  praise," 

and  we  would  render  them  to  Thee.  If  not  loud, 
they  should  be  deep.  "Bless  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy 
name."  Thou  art  a  good  Master;  Thou  art  a 
gracious  Friend;  Thou  art  all  in  all  to  us,  there 
are  no  failures  in  Thee.  Thou  art  the  seed  of 
blessedness;  glory  be  to  Thy  thrice  holy  name. 
And  now  if  there  be  any  of  Thy  children  present 
here  who  are  in  peculiar  straits,  let  them  enjoy 
peculiar  deliverances.  We  do  not  know  into 
what  position  Thou  mayest  have  drifted  Thy 
people.  The  vessel  may  be  well  nigh  on  the 
rocks,  but  Thou,  the  great  Pilot  of  the  Galilean 
lake,  canst  preserve  the  bark.  Do  so,  we  pray 
thee,  and  when  Thy  people  cannot  see  their  way, 
may  they  see  their  God;  may  they  trust  and  not 
be  afraid,  and  when  the  waters  well  nigh  over- 
whelm, may  they  have  the  greater  confidence  in 
Him  who  rules  the  storms  and  never  lost  a  vessel 
yet  when  He  was  Pilot,  and  never  will.  O  Lord, 
give  Thy  people  rest  about  everything  to-night. 
May  they  bring  every  burden  and  lay  it  on  the 
great  Burden-bearer,  and  go  away  with  no  bur- 
den, except  one  of  deep  gratitude  and  solemn 
obligation  to  serve  Thee  better  than  ever.  Our 
Father,  forgive  Thy  children  to-night  if  we  have 
done  anything  that  grieves  Thee.     May  there  be 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       263 

no  cloud  between  our  soul  and  our  God.  Let  us 
not  stand  outside  in  the  outer  court  to-night. 
May  we  dwell  in  the  secret  places  of  the  Most 
High.  May  our  communion  with  Thee  be  deep 
and  sweet.  Bring  us  to  serve  Thee  with  a  per- 
fect heart,  and  to  yield  up  our  soul  to  Thee  abso- 
lutely till  we  are  completely  reconciled  to  Thee 
and  walk  with  Thee.  Oh,  for  Enoch's  life- 
unbroken  fellowship  and  deep  serenity.  May  we 
walk  with  God  until  we  shall  one  day  walk  away 
with  God,  and  shall  not  be  here,  for  God  hath 
taken  us  away. 

O  Lord,  do  Thou  look  upon  any  of  Thy  people 
who  are  hard  at  work  for  Thee,  and  give  them 
fruit  of  their  labor,  or  at  any  rate,  may  they  work 
on  even  if  they  see  no  fruit;  for  the  husbandman 
waiteth  for  the  precious  fruit  of  the  earth,  and 
hath  long  patience.  Let  us  have  long  patience, 
too;  but  Lord,  do  bless  us  in  the  conversion  of 
sinners.  We  pray  Thee,  that  whether  we  preach 
or  have  fallen  into  the  blessed  habit  of  talking 
with  individuals,  we  may  be  winners  of  souls 
Whether  we  fish  with  the  net,  or  with  the  rod 
angle  for  separate  fish,  may  we  be  made  use- 
ful by  God.  Bless  every  tract  that  we  scatter, 
every  book  that  we  write,  or  that  we  give,  every 
letter  that  we  write  to  a  friend.  And  hear  the 
prayers  we  put  up  for  ungodly  relatives,  children 
who  are  not  saved,  and  near  and  dear  ones  who 
are  not  yet  in  the  Kingdom.  Lord,  save  souls. 
We   do    pray   Thee    that  this    church  may  be  a 


264  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

blessing  to  the  neighborhood,  and  as  there  are 
many  friends  here  from  all  parts  of  London,  we 
ask  that  wherever  they  go  they  may  be  lumps  of 
salt.  May  they  be  burning  lamps,  scattering 
light  in  the  thick  surrounding  darkness.  Lord, 
grant  that  no  man  among  us  may  live  unto  him- 
self; no  woman  in  this  house  be  spending  her 
time  upon  herself,  but  may  we  live  for  Him  whose 
we  are  because  He  has  bought  us  with  his  pre- 
cious blood.  And  oh!  keep  us,  keep  us  from  all 
evil;  let  us  not  fall,  let  us  not  fall.  Yea,  let  us 
not  even  stumble.  May  our  walk  be  close  with 
God,  such  that  others  may  safely  tread  in  our 
footsteps.  Make  us  holy,  O  God.  This  is  our 
prayer.  And  then,  Lord  Jesus,  come,  come 
soon.  Thy  promise  is  to  come  quickly.  The 
world  is  a  weary  place  without  Thee.  Come 
quickly;  come  quickly,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen. 

— C.  H.  Spurgeon. 


LX 

OTHOU  loving  and  eternal  God,  grant  Thou 
unto  us  knowledge  of  Thy  holy  name.  We 
thank  Thee,  Thou  Father  in  heaven  that  Thou 
hast  spoken  unto  us  in  Thy  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 
But  now  grant  that  the  spirit  that  is  filial,  the 
heart  that  is  humble,  may  through  Him  speak 
unto  Thee.  Our  Father,  grant  Thy  blessing  upon 
this  church.  Bless  Thou  all  agencies  of  this 
church.     Grant,   Father,  Thy  grace  to  each  and 


A   COLLECTION   OF    PRAYERS       265 

to  all  severally,  according  as  we  need.  Bless 
Thou,  Father,  the  inmost  thought  of  our  heart, 
the  outward  expression  of  the  life.  Our  Father 
in  heaven,  we  are  needy  men,  and  all  our  needs 
do  pray  to  Thee.  Our  deepest  desires  are  dumb, 
but  where  man  may  not  speak.  Thou,  the  gracious 
God,  can  hear  and  give  the  needed  answer.  Oh, 
our  Father  in  heaven,  let  Thy  holy  Word  descend 
upon  us  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  And  if 
our  way  be  troubled  or  our  path  perplexed,  send 
Thou  the  light  that  shineth  unto  the  perfect  day. 
Bless  Thou  our  old  men;  give  them  grace  to  bear 
their  age  sweetly,  and  do  Thou  help  them  still 
to  be  young,  having  the  heart  of  youth  within  the 
aged  breast.  And  do  Thou  grant  that  Thy  Gos- 
pel may  still  abide  with  them,  making  not  old, 
but  keeping  young,  and  binding  age  to  age  in 
natural  piety.  Bless  Thou  our  young  men  and 
maidens.  Preserve  them,  we  beseech  Thee,  in 
very  early  springtide;  make  it  beautiful  with  the 
dew  of  youth  and  grant  Thou,  gracious  Father, 
that  early  promise  may  receive  perfect  fulfill- 
ment. Bless  Thou  our  wives  and  mothers — Thou 
hast  given  unto  them  the  greater  sorrow.  Give 
Thou  them  the  greater  joy.  Grant  that  they  in 
the  midst  of  life  may  still  possess  the  love  that 
reigneth,  and  may  make  holier  and  lovelier  and 
fuller  of  Thy  winsome  grace  the  hard  and  troubled 
life  of  men.  Bless  Thou,  we  humbly  beseech 
Thee,  the  men  who  are  in  mid-time  of  their  days, 
and  keep  them  in  Thy  grace,  in  love  and  in  work. 


266  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

and  in  holy  duty,  that  they  may  still  serve  Thee, 
and  rejoice  in  Thy  strength.  And  now,  Thou 
loving  God,  whatever  our  vocation,  give  Thou 
Thy  living  truth  to  enlighten  and  to  save.  Bless, 
we  beseech  Thee,  the  men  that  make  our  laws; 
grant  that  they  may  be  made  enlightened  makers 
of  laws,  and  able  to  wisely  administer  the  law 
that  is  made.  Bless  our  physicians,  and  as  they 
visit  the  sick,  give  them  the  keen  eye,  and  the 
gentle  hand  and  the  swift  resolve.  Be  with  the 
nurses  who  wait  upon  the  sick,  and  give  them  the 
gentle  will  and  a  readiness  to  serve  and  to 
sweeten  the  drear  life  of  the  patient.  Be  Thou 
with  our  teachers,  masters  in  schools,  tutors  in 
colleges,  professors  in  universities,  that  all  may 
be  men  who  love  Thee  and  love  Thy  truth,  and 
guide  men  into  the  knowledge  of  Thy  holy  name. 
Be  with  our  merchants;  give  them,  amidst  com- 
mercial perplexity  and  distress,  grace  to  find  the 
more  excellent  way,  the  path  of  honor.  Be  with 
our  workmen,  and  help  them  as  workmen  to  be 
diligent  and  faithful,  realizing  that  the  service  is 
unto  God  and  not  unto  men.  Be  with  our  judges 
and  our  lawyers,  and  grant  that  they  may  cause 
justice  to  reign  between  man  and  man,  honor  and 
truth  to  prevail.  Be,  we  humbly  ask  Thee,  with 
all  men  who  write  for  the  press.  Speak  to  the 
people  who  make  books,  who  seek  by  pen  to 
instruct  and  to  guide  men.  Oh,  our  Father,  send 
Thou  Thy  truth,  send  Thou  Thy  righteousness. 
May  they  teach   the  people  wisely,  and  with  due 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       267 

sense  of  the  great  honor  and  the  great  responsi- 
bility they  possess.  Be  with  our  missionaries 
abroad,  and  help  them,  Thou  gracious  Father,  to 
know  Thee  and  to  make  Thee  known,  and  to  find 
how  great  the  joy  and  how  holy  the  comfort  of 
ministering  in  sacred  things.  Bless  all  ministers 
at  home,  and  do  Thou  help  them.  Father,  to  be 
full  of  love  and  full  of  truth,  bringing  the  Gospel 
of  God  to  men,  bringing  men  to  the  knowledge 
of  Thy  holy  Gospel.  Hear  us,  Father  in  heaven. 
Hear  our  prayers  for  all  the  needy,  for  all  the 
distressed,  for  the  lapsed  and  the  sinful,  for  the 
resigned  and  the  holy.  Bless  us,  O  Father,  and 
send  us  Thy  gracious  help.  Bless  us  as  a  people. 
Bless  our  King  and  parliament.  Bless  all  who 
around  and  about  seek  in  any  way  to  bless  men, 
and  make  the  heart  of  the  world  happier  and  the 
spirit  of  the  world  holier.  O,  Thou  blessed 
Christ,  help  us  to  love  Thee  and  let  Thy  Spirit 
dwell  within  Thy  people,  making  Thy  people 
priests  unto  God.  Hear  us  and  bless  us,  and 
give  to  us  Thy  perfect  truth,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.     Amen. 

—  Principal  A.  M.  Fairbairn,  D.D. 

Prayer  No.  60  is  worthy  of  study  as  a  model  of 
structure,  simplicity  and  completeness. 

It  deals  with   God,  mankind  and  our  country. 
But  look  at  this  outline  and  then  read  the  prayer. 

L   God. 

n.   Men  (i)  of  different  ages — old,  young,  mid 
die-aged. 


268  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

(2)  Of  different    classes,  rulers,    teachers, 
merchants,  missionaries,  etc. 
III.  Our  country. 


LXI 

OGOD,  grant  that  there  may  be  truth  in  the 
inward  parts,  in  all  that  is  within  us.  May 
we  put  away  everything  that  is  positively  sinful; 
may  we  be  in  the  very  depths  of  our  nature  so 
true  as  the  result  of  that  truth,  that  those  who 
live  near  us — those  who  see  most  of  our  inner 
and  otherwise  hidden  character — may  know  most 
clearly  and  feel  most  profoundly  that  we  have 
been  with  Christ  and  learned  of  Him.  And  upon 
all  our  doings  and  our  goings  shed  forth  Thy 
sacred  influence.  May  we  feel  the  compassions 
which  Christ  felt  for  those  who  are  in  sorrow  and 
sickness  and  pitiful  circumstances  about  us;  may 
we  exercise  evermore  all  those  sweet  influences 
of  charity  which  should  characterize  the  mind 
that  loves  and  follows  Jesus.  And  upon  all  our 
great  country  send  down  Thy  Divine  Spirit  with 
sacred  influences.  Father,  bless,  we  beseech 
Thee,  this  land  with  abundant  blessing.  Protect 
and  keep  our  King  and  the  royal  house.  Give  of 
Thy  Divine  Spirit  to  those  who  are  guiding  and 
directing  the  affairs  of  our  nation.  Keep  us  in 
peace,  we  entreat  Thee,  O  Father,  and  upon  all 
the  earth  shower  down  Thy  blessing  and  give 
Thine  abundant   increase.     Oh,    how   feeble    are 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       269 

our  petitions!  How  wanting!  How  wayward! 
Not  for  what  we  ask  do  we  pray  necessarily  to 
be  answered,  but  we  entreat  Thee  to  grant  that  as 
the  result  of  our  prayer,  we  may  profoundly  feel 
and  live  in  the  feeling  that  the  will  of  the  Lord 
should  be  done,  and  in  it  we  should  rejoice.  We 
entreat  this  for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 

— Professor  Dallinger,  D.D. 


Lxn 

OGOD  of  Power,  God  of  Love,  we  come  with 
yearning  hearts  to  submit  ourselves  to 
Thee.  Grant  us.  Lord,  a  true  sense  of  sin  and 
true  trust  in  Him  who  redeems  from  all  guilt. 
May  Thy  Spirit  so  dissipate  our  darkness  and  so 
quicken  our  life  that  we  shall  worship  Thee  in 
spirit  and  in  truth;  yea.  Lord,  in  the  beauty  of 
holiness.  So  near  may  we  feel  Thy  presence 
that  our  sense  of  distance  and  danger  may  depart, 
and  our  souls  find  refuge  in  Thee,  our  Rock  of 
Defence.  Enable  us  to  trust  fully;  to  feel  that 
all  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God,  to  them  that  are  called  according  to 
Thy  purpose.  Oh,  may  we  reach  the  assurance 
that  Thou,  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  wilt  do 
right.  But  more  we  need.  Grant  us  filial  trust 
which  never  forgets  that  like  as  a  father  pitieth 
his  children  so  the  Lord  pitieth  them  that  fear 
Him,  for  He  knoweth  our  frame.  He  remember- 
eth  that  we  are  dust,  and  hath  said,  "Fear  not, 


270  COMMUNION    WITH    GOD 

little  flock,  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure 
to  give  you  the  Kingdom."  Enable  us  always  in 
our  moments  of  distress  or  perplexity  to  hear  the 
Divine  Voice  saying  "Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  And  so  shall  we  find  peace,  and  learn  the 
apostolic  lesson  that  Thy  strength  is  made  per- 
fect in  human  weakness.  Come,  O  Lord  Jesus! 
so  come,  and  establish  Thy  Kingdom  within  us, 
that  our  every  power  may  be  brought  under  Thy 
sway  and  reflect  Thy  glory.  Thus  shall  we 
dwell  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus  and  Thy 
praise  be  perfected  in  our  redemption.     Amen. 


LXIII 

WE  BESEECH  Thee,  O  God,  to  revive 
Thine  own  work  in  the  midst  of  the  days. 
We  lament  that  among  Thy  professing  people, 
apathy  and  indifference  so  largely  prevail — that 
so  many  have  merely  a  name  to  live,  but  are  in 
reality  dead.  Hast  Thou  not  promised,  O  God, 
to  pour  out  Thy  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  and  to 
refresh  Thine  heritage  as  a  plenteous  rain?  Wilt 
Thou  not,  then,  send  forth  Thy  Spirit  to  en- 
lighten the  ignorant,  to  quicken  the  dead  and  to 
awaken  those  who  are  at  ease  in  Zion?  We 
rejoice  to  remember  that  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
Thou  didst  send  Thy  Spirit  to  give  efficacy  to 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel;  and  we  know  that 
Thou  art  still  mighty  to  save,  and  that  Thy  Spirit 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       271 

is  not  straitened.  Let  Thy  Spirit  now  descend 
upon  the  congregation  of  Thy  people  like  rain 
upon  the  mown  grass,  and  like  showers  that  water 
the  earth.  May  the  careless  be  aroused,  the 
prayerless  be  constrained  in  the  agency  of  con- 
scious guilt  to  cry:  What  must  we  do  to  be  saved? 
And  may  they  be  enabled  to  look  by  faith  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  whom  alone  salvation  can 
be  found.  May  those,  also,  who  have  in  some 
measure  tasted  of  Thy  goodness,  be  stirred  up  to 
greater  measures  of  zeal  and  diligence  in  the 
divine  life.  Make  them  more  fervent  in  spirit 
more  earnest  in  prayer,  more  laborious  in  theit 
efforts  towards  the  extension  of  Thy  Kingdom, 
and  the  salvation  of  perishing  sinners.  Thus 
may  Zion  arise,  shake  the  dust  from  her  neck, 
and  put  on  her  beautiful  garments,  and  may  her 
righteouness  go  forth  like  brightness  and  her 
salvation  like  a  lamp  that  burneth.  Hear  and 
answer  for  the  gracious  Redeemer's  sake.  Amen. 
—Prof.  William  Gregg,  D.D. 


LXIV 

OGOD,  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
our  only  Saviour,  the  Prince  of  Peace;  give 
us  grace  seriously  to  lay  to  heart  the  great  dan- 
gers we  are  in  by  our  unhappy  divisions.  Take 
away  from  us  all  hatred  and  prejudice  and  what- 
soever else  may  hinder  us  from  godly  union  and 
concord;  that  as  there  is  but  one  body,  and  one 


272  COMMUNION  WITH   GOD 

spirit,  and  one  hope  of  our  calling,  one  Lord, 
one  faith,  one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  us 
all,  so  we  may  henceforth  be  all  of  one  heart,  and 
of  one  soul,  united  in  one  holy  bond  of  truth  and 
peace,  of  faith  and  charity,  and  may  with  one 
mind  and  one  mouth  glorify  Thee;  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

— Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

LXV 

THE   RESURRECTION 

Note. — This  prayer  is  a  model  of  Scriptural 
thought  and  language  relating  to:  (i)  The 
death  and  resurrection  of  Christ;  (2)  the  present 
comfort  for  the  believer,  and  (3)  the  glorious 
prospects  therein  revealed;  also  (4)  desire  for 
fidelity  till  His  appearing,  etc. 

OTHOU  who  broughtest  again  from  the 
dead  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd 
of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting 
covenant;  we  draw  near  unto  Thee,  this  morning, 
with  the  voice  of  rejoicing  and  of  praise.  We 
bless  Thee  that  His  soul  was  not  left  in  the  place 
of  the  dead,  neither  did  His  flesh  see  corruption; 
but  that  He  arose  a  conqueror  over  the  last 
enemy,  and  was  shown  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with 
power.  We  rejoice  in  the  testimony  thus  given, 
that  Thou  didst  remember  His  offering  and 
accept  His  sacrifice  on  our  behalf;  so  that  no  one 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      273 

can  now  lay  anthing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect; 
seeing  it  was  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather  that  is 
risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
who  also  maketh  intercession  for  us.  We  would 
recall  with  gratitude  His  first  words  to  the  weep- 
ing Mary,  "Woman,  why  weepest  thou?"  And 
we  would  praise  Thee  that  ever  since  He  has  been 
wiping  the  tears  from  weeping  eyes.  We  would 
cherish  with  deepest  thankfulness  His  first  salu- 
tation to  the  brethren  in  the  upper  chamber, 
"Peace  be  unto  you,"  and  desire  during  our 
whole  life  to  live  under  the  dew  of  these  blessed 
words.  We  would  remember  how  He  made  the 
hearts  of  the  two  disciples  on  the  way  to  Emmaus 
burn  within  them  as  He  opened  up  the  Scriptures; 
and  we  pray  that  it  may  be  given  us  to  see,  as 
the  chief  theme  of  Moses  and  the  Psalms  and  the 
prophets  the  atoning  sufferings  of  Christ,  and 
the  glory  that  was  to  follow.  O  God,  we  bless 
Thee  for  a  risen  Saviour.  We  bless  Thee  for 
Him  who  was  dead,  and  is  alive,  and  liveth  for 
evermore,  and  hath  the  keys  of  hades  and  of 
death.  We  bless  Thee  that  He  is  now  at  Thy 
right  hand,  angels  and  authorities  and  powers 
being  subject  to  Him,  and  that  in  due  time  He 
will  come  again  to  gather  His  elect  from  the 
north  and  from  the  south  and  from  the  east  and 
from  the  west,  to  sit  down  with  Him  in  the  King- 
dom of  God.  And  we  praise  Thee  for  the  glo- 
rious hope  of  our  own  resurrection,  when  He  shall 
say  to  the  north  "Give  up,  and  to  the  south,  keep 


274  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

not  back;  bring  my  sons  from  afar  and  my 
daughters  from  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

And  now,  O  Lord,  mourning  over  the  coldness 
of  our  hearts  and  the  dullness  of  our  affections, 
we  implore  Thy  grace,  that,  being  quickened 
together  with  Christ,  we  may  seek  the  things  that 
are  above,  where  He  sitteth  on  the  right  hand  of 
God.  Oh  that,  moved  and  quickened  by  His 
agony  and  bloody  sweat,  by  His  cross  and  pas- 
sion, by  His  precious  death  and  burial,  by  His 
glorious  resurrection  and  ascension,  and  by  the 
coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  may  have  our  con- 
versation in  heaven;  may  sit  with  Him  in  heavenly 
places;  and  cherish  as  our  brightest  hope  the 
glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  change  our  vile 
bodies  and  fashion  them  like  unto  His  glorious 
body,  according  to  the  mighty  working  whereby 
He  is  able  even  to  subdue  all  things  unto  Him- 
self. 

And  we  pray,  O  God,  that  Thou  wouldst  arouse 
a  blind  and  slumbering  world  to  see  the  grace 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that,  like  the 
company  around  the  throne,  they  may  give  all 
blessing  and  honor  and  praise  unto  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain.  Be  pleased  to  scatter  the  darkness  of 
heathenism.  And,  for  this  end,  revive  and 
quicken  Thy  languid  church,  and  make  the  last 
charge  of  our  Master  ever  to  ring  in  our  ears, 
"Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  every  creature." 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       275 

These  and  all  other  blessings  for  us  and  for 
ours,  and  for  the  church  and  the  world,  we  hum- 
bly ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  to  whom,  with  the 
Father  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  be  eternal  praise. 
Amen.  —Prof.  W.  G.  Blaikie,  D.D.,  LL.D.,  in 
"Household  Prayers." 

FAMILY 

LXVI 

OGOD,  we  would  adore  Thee  as  Light  in 
whom  is  no  darkness  at  all.  We  would 
adore  Thee  as  the  Light,  which  has  never  been 
seen  on  sea  or  land;  that  Light  of  the  Spirit  in 
which  we  may  all  see  light.  At  creation  Thou 
didst  say,  Let  light  be,  and  light  was;  and  the 
world  is  full  of  kindly  light  from  Thee  to  guide 
our  feet  into  the  way  of  understanding.  For  all 
this  light  of  knowledge,  and  the  power  it  brings 
US5  we  would  praise  Thy  glorious  name.  But  in 
this  day  of  the  Son  of  Man,  we  would  thank 
Thee  still, more  for  the  light  which  shines  on  us 
through  the  life  of  Thy  Son.  We  thank  Thee  for 
the  pardon  He  has  purchased  through  His  blood. 
We  thank  Thee  for  the  cleansing  He  imparts 
through  His  Spirit.  We  thank  Thee  for  the 
power  he  bestows  on  poor  sinners  to  become 
sons  of  God.  May  these  great  gifts  be  ours.  As 
pardoned,  purified,  and  adopted  children,  may 
we  be  prepared  to  pass  at  last  in  to  the  everlast- 
ing home.     We  ask  all  these  mercies,  and  a  day 


276  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

of  Sabbath  peace,  for  the  sake  of  our  Redeemer. 
Amen.  — "A  Book  of  Family  Worship,"  ed.  by 
W.  Robertson  Nicoll,  D.D. 


LXVII 

WE  THANK  Thee,  O  God  of  love,  that 
Thou  gatherest  Thy  families  like  a  flock 
and  makest  bright  homes  in  this  dark  world. 
Under  the  shadow  of  Thy  wings  may  we  dwell  in 
safety,  and  under  the  light  of  Thy  Spirit  be  kept 
from  darkness  and  sin.  Grant  us  the  trustfulness 
of  those  who  know  Thy  love  and  the  humility  of 
those  who  realize  their  own  unworthiness.  Be 
Thou  our  Deliverer,  we  implore,  not  only  from  sin 
but  from  mental  and  moral  bias  and  misconcep- 
tion. Save  us  from  prejudice  and  superstition, 
make  conscience  sensitive  to  sin,  and  give  us 
open  vision  for  wider  views  of  truth  and  broader 
sympathies  where  our  knowledge  is  narrow. 
May  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  be  also  in  us, 
and  strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies 
may  we  resist  evil,  but  ever  with  brotherly  ten- 
derness manifest  the  manhood  of  Christ  by  help- 
ful deeds  and  cheerful  spirits.  If  we  are  worthy 
to  be  made  stewards  of  any  kind  of  wealth, 
entrust  us  therewith,  we  beseech  Thee,  and  grant 
us  grace  to  improve  all  our  talents  for  Thy  sake. 
But  if,  Lord,  through  ignorance  or  selfishness  we 
are  unfitted  to  hold  Thy  treasure  in  trust,  then 
enlighten     our     understanding,     we    pray,    and 


A  COLLECTION  OF   PRAYERS      277 

redeem  us  from  selfishness,  that  we  and  all  we 
possess  may  be  Thine  forever.  For,  O  Lord 
God,  we  desire  to  live  for  Thy  glory  and  to  see 
Thy  name  exalted  in  all  the  earth.     Amen. 


LXVIII 

OLORD,  lift  up  the  light  of  Thy  countenance 
upon  us;  let  Thy  peace  rule  our  hearts; 
and  may  it  be  our  strength  and  our  song,  in  the 
course  of  our  pilgrimage. 

We  commit  ourselves  to  Thy  care  and  keeping 
this  day;  let  Thy  grace  be  mighty  in  us,  and 
sufficient  for  us,  and  let  it  work  in  us  both  to  will 
and  to  do  of  Thy  good  pleasure,  and  grant  us 
strength  for  all  the  duties  of  the  day.  Keep  us 
from  sin;  give  us  the  rule  over  our  own  spirits; 
and  keep  us  from  speaking  unadvisedly  with  our 
lips.  May  we  live  together  in  peace  and  holy 
love,  and  do  Thou  command  Thy  blessing  upon 
us,  even  life  forevermore.  Prepare  us  for  all  the 
events  of  the  day,  for  we  know  not  what  a  day 
may  bring  forth.  Give  us  grace  to  deny  our- 
selves; to  take  up  our  cross  daily,  and  to  follow 
in  the  steps  of  our  Lord  and  Master.     Amen. 

— Matthew  Henry. 

LXIX 

GRANT   unto   us,    Almighty   God,   that  that 
glory  which  filleth  earth  and  heaven  may 
also  fill   our  hearts;    that  we,  being  glorified  by 


278  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

Thy  graciousness,  made  happy  by  Thy  love, 
made  hopeful  by  Thy  promise,  may  praise  and 
magnify  Thy  holy  name  until  such  time  as  the 
praising  of  Thy  holy  name  shall  lead  us  to  the 
doing  of  Thy  holy  will;  that  we,  becoming  per- 
fectly obedient  thereunto,  may  possess  the  life  of 
God  in  the  days  of  time,  that  so,  in  the  eternal 
years,  we  may  be  forever  Thine.  Receive  our 
thanksgivings,  forgive  our  sins,  strengthen  our 
hope,  make  deep  our  faith;  so  that  all  the  days 
of  this,  our  mortal  life,  we,  keeping  Thy  com- 
mandments, and  leaning  ever  upon  Thy  mercy, 
may  pass  on  our  way  until  we,  through  the  gate 
of  death,  enter  into  life  everlasting.  Hear  us  of 
Thy  Mercy,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen. 

— George  Dawson,  "Great  Souls  at  Prayer." 


LXX 

OGOD,  who  hast  commanded  that  no  man 
should  be  idle,  give  us  grace  to  employ  all 
our  talents  and  faculties  in  the  service  appointed 
for  us;  that,  whatsoever  our  hand  findeth  to  do, 
we  may  do  it  with  our  might.  Cheerfully  may 
we  go  on  in  the  road  which  Thou  hast  marked 
out,  not  desiring  too  earnestly  that  it  should  be 
either  more  smooth  or  more  wide;  but,  daily 
seeking  one  way  by  Thy  light,  may  we  trust  our- 
selves and  the  issue  of  our  journey,  to  Thee,  the 
Fountain  of  joy,  and  sing  songs  of  praise  as  we 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      279 

go  along.  Then,  O  Lord,  receive  us  at  the  gate 
of  life  which  Thou  hast  opened  for  us  in  Christ 
Jesus.     Amen. 

— Martineau's  "Common  Prayer  for 
Christian  Worship." 


LXXI 

BLESSED  Lord,  who  hast  promised  that 
whatsoever  we  ask  the  Father  in  Thy 
name,  Thou  wilt  give  it  us,  pour  into  us,  we  be- 
seech Thee,  the  spirit  of  prayer,  that  we  may 
pray  aright,  and  in  none  other  name  but  Thine. 
To  this  end  may  we  be  doers  of  Thy  Word,  and 
not  hearers  only.  Keep  us  from  praying  at  ran- 
dom not  knowing  what  manner  of  persons  we 
are;  show  us  our  real  wants;  give  us  both  humil- 
ity and  honesty  to  confess  them  unto  Thee. 
Keep  us  from  praying  selfishly  in  our  own  names; 
teach  us  what  we  are  in  Thee,  and  what  are  our 
real  treasures  and  interests;  that  we  may  plead 
for  them,  and  not  for  vain  shadows.  If  we  pray 
for  wealth  and  ease,  if  we  pray  for  less  of  Thy 
work  and  more  of  our  own  enjoyment,  do  Thou 
answer,  not  the  trifles  on  our  lips,  but  the  deeper 
yearnings  which  lie  forgotten  in  our  hearts. 
When  we  pray  for  Thyself,  for  more  fellowship 
in  Thy  sufferings  and  Thy  glory,  grant  Thou  our 
prayer,  not  according  to  our  zeal  in  our  blunders, 
but  according  to  Thine  infinite  wisdom;  not  ac- 
cording to  our    impatience,    but    in   Thine   own 


28o  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

good  time,  and  after  the  counsel  of  Thy  Father's 
will. 

Lord,  teach  us  to  pray.  Holy  Spirit,  help  our 
infirmities.  Great  Intercessor,  present  to  Thy 
Father  this  Thine  own  prayer:  Our  Father  which 
art  in  heaven,  etc. 

— Alf ord'  s  '  'Year  of  Prayer. ' ' 

LXXII 

WE  BESEECH  Thee,  Lord,  to  behold  us 
with  favor,  folk  of  many  families  and 
nations,  gathered  together  in  the  peace  of  this 
roof;  weak  men  and  women  subsisting  under 
the  covert  of  Thy  patience.  Be  patient  still; 
suffer  us  yet  a  while  longer — with  our  broken 
promises  of  good,  with  our  idle  endeavors  against 
evil — suffer  us  a  while  longer  to  endure  and 
(if  it  may  be)  help  us  to  do  better.  Bless  to  us 
our  extraordinary  mercies;  if  the  day  comes 
when  these  must  be  taken,  have  us  play  the  man 
under  affliction.  Be  with  our  friends,  be  with 
ourselves.  Go  with  each  of  us  to  rest;  if  any 
awake,  temper  to  them  the  dark  hours  of  watch- 
ing; and  when  the  day  returns  to  us — our  sun  and 
comforter — call  us  with  morning  faces,  eager  to 
labor,  eager  to  be  happy,  if  happiness  shall  be 
our  portion,  and,  if  the  day  be  marked  to  sorrow, 
strong  to  endure  it.  We  thank  Thee  and  praise 
Thee;  and  in  the  words  of  Him  to  whom  this  day 
is   sacred,  close  our  oblation      Amen. 

— Robert  Louis  Stevenson. 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      281 

Special  prapcts 

PRAYERS    FOR    ILLUMINATION 

LXXIII 

MOST  Gracious  God  and  Father,  in  whom 
dwelleth  all  fullness  of  light  and  wisdom, 
enlighten  our  minds,  we  beseech  Thee,  by  Thy 
Holy  Spirit,  in  the  true  understanding  of  Thy 
Word.  Give  us  grace  to  receive  it  with  all  rever- 
ence and  humility.  May  it  teach  us  to  put  our 
whole  trust  in  Thee  only,  and  so  to  serve  and 
honor  Thee  that  in  ail  our  life  we  may  glorify 
Thy  holy  name  and  be  profitable  to  our  fellow 
men.  And  inasmuch  as  it  hath  pleased  Thee  to 
remember  us  with  Thy  servants  and  children, 
grant  that  we  may  render  unto  Thee  the  love  and 
obedience  which  we  owe  Thee,  as  children  to 
their  father  and  servants  to  their  lord.  We  ask 
all  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ  our  only  Saviour. 
Amen.  — Calvin. 

LXXIV 

ALMIGHTY  God,  our  heavenly  Father,  who 
hast  given  us  Thy  Holy  Word  to  be  a  light 
to  our  feet  and  a  lamp  to  our  path,  grant  us  now 
grace  and  wisdom  to  use  it  aright,  that  Thy  truth 
may  fall  as  good  seed  in  good  soil  and  bring 
forth  much  fruit  to  Thy  glory  and  to  our  enrich- 
ment.    Unto  Thee,  O  Lord,  we  cry  for  wisdom 


282  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

and  the  grace  of  understanding.     Oh,  hear  us  for 
Thy  mercy's  sake.     Amen. 

LXXV 

OGOD,  in  whose  wisdom  Thy  children  be- 
come wise,  illumine  our  hearts  by  Thy 
Holy  Spirit,  that  we  may  receive  Thy  truth  in 
the  love  of  it.  May  the  fruit  be  unto  holiness 
and  the  end  everlasting  life,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,     Amen. 

— "New  Directory  for  Public  Worship." 

LXXVI 

LORD  of  light  and  all  wisdom,  who  hast  in- 
spired the  Oracles  of  God  for  our  instruc- 
tion, inspire  us  now  to  understand  and  prepare 
our  hearts  to  receive  Thy  divine  message. 
Enable  us  so  to  read,  mark,  learn,  and  inwardly 
digest  Thy  truth,  that  it  shall  be  unto  us 
comfort  and  consolation,  wisdom  and  strength,  re- 
demptive and  sanctifying  in  its  power,  transform- 
ing our  lives  from  glory  to  glory  till  we  come  in 
the  unity  of  the  faith  and  of  the  knowledge  of 
the  Son  of  God  unto  a  perfect  man,  unto  the 
measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fullness  of  God. 
And  this  we  ask  for  Thy  glory.     Amen. 

LXXVII 

OGOD,  who  in  times  past  hast  spoken  unto 
the   fathers    by   the    prophets,    and    hast 
spoken  unto  us  in  these  last  days  by  Thy  Son, 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       283 

speak  to  us  now,  we  beseech  Thee,  by  Thy  Holy 
Spirit.  May  He  who  inspired  the  Word  of  Life 
inspire  also  our  hearts  to  receive  Thy  truth.  Oh, 
quicken  our  love  for  Thy  law;  may  our  medita- 
tions therein  prepare  us  better  for  the  citizenship 
of  heaven.  So  shall  we  serve  Thee  here,  and  so 
shall  we  praise  Thee  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


o 


AFTER   SERMON 

Lxxvni 

GOD,  our  Father,  we  beseech  Thee  to 
accept  our  worship.  Pardon  its  imperfec- 
tions, and  grant  that  henceforth,  putting  all  our 
trust  in  Thy  well-beloved  Son,  enlightened  by 
His  teaching,  guided  by  His  example,  and  sancti- 
fied by  His  Spirit,  we  may  walk  in  newness  of 
life  and  so  prepare  for  that  blessed  life  which 
Thou  hast  promised  to  Thy  children  in  heaven. 
Hear  us,  O  merciful  Father,  in  these  our  suppli- 
cations for  the  sake  of  Thy  dear  Son,  Jesus  Christ, 
to  whom  with  Thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  all 
honor  and  glory,  world  without  end.     Amen. 

—"Social  Worship." 

LXXIX 

OUR  Father,  wilt  Thou  bless  the  word  which 
we  have  spoken?  Grant  that  it  may  be  an 
incitement  to  our  motives.  May  we  measure  the 
ways  of  men,  the  ways  of  the  nation,  and  our  own 
ways,  not  by  human  opinions,  but  by  sympathy 


284  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

with  Thy  revealed  truth.  We  thank  Thee  that 
Thou  hast  called  so  many  back  from  the  way  in 
which  they  were  wandering  and  that  Thou  art 
awakening  again  the  dormant  sympathies  of  man 
for  man.  We  pray  that  Thou  wilt  kindle  to  a 
glowing  flame  that  which  is  but  a  spark  now,  that 
Thou  wilt  give  to  all  Thy  church  and  to  every 
heart  a  glowing  love  until  the  summer  of  good 
will  shall  bloom  among  men. 

Wilt  Thou,  O  God,  bless  the  remaining  hours 
of  this  day.  We  would  walk  with  Thee.  Re- 
strain us  with  Thy  love.  Wean  us  from  our  sin, 
and  from  the  love  of  it,  and  keep  us  near  Thy 
side.     We  ask  it  for  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 

— Beecher. 


w 


LXXX 

E  THANK  Thee,  O  Lord,  that  we  have 
been  permitted  to  hear  and  meditate  on 
Thy  Holy  Word;  and  we  beseech  Thee  that  its 
lessons  may  be  fixed  in  our  memories,  and  im- 
pressed upon  our  hearts,  and  that  they  may  bring 
forth  in  our  lives  the  peaceable  fruits  of  right- 
eousness to  the  glory  of  Thy  holy  name;  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.     Amen. 

— Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

LXXXI 

OGOD,  our  one  Father,  our  one  Teacher,  our 
one  Master,  our  God,  we  come  to  Thee 
with  thanksgiving;  we  thank  Thee  for  all  Thou 


A  COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       285 

hast  done  for  us,  and  for  all  Thou  art  to  us.  We 
thank  Thee  for  Thy  faithfulness  to  our  fathers. 
We  thank  thee  for  Thy  faithfulness  to  Thy 
people  now.  We  thank  Thee  for  all  the  grace  to 
come.  Bless  to  us  the  weighty  words  we 
have  heard  at  this  time.  Let  them  bear  much 
fruit  for  our  own  souls,  for  every  congregation, 
and  every  church  here  represented,  for  Thy  King- 
dom upon  the  earth.  O  God,  let  Thy  blessing 
rest  upon  this  Council.  We  know  not  our  own 
needs.  Thou  knowest  it  altogether.  Touch  our 
hearts  and  lighten  our  eyes,  quicken  our  con- 
sciences, bind  us  one  to  another.  Bind  us  first 
of  all  unto  Thyself,  and  as  we  have  been  reminded 
that  the  beginning  of  salvation  is  the  personal 
bond  between  the  Saviour  and  the  sinner,  O  God, 
let  there  not  be  one  now  in  Thy  presence  who  is 
not  consciously  given  up  to  Thee  as  Thy  re- 
deemed child  and  Thy  faithful  servant.  And 
bless  Thy  people  everywhere.  O  God,  we  do 
not  come  here  as  though  we  were  a  body,  much 
less  the  body.  The  body  is  Thine,  the  body  is 
that  of  which  Thou  art  the  Head.  But  we  do 
pray  to  be  members  of  the  body,  and  we  pray 
Thee  to  use  us  for  the  good  of  Thy  body.  And  let 
grace,  mercy,  and  peace  be  with  all  them  that 
love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  Lord, 
hear  us,  and  answer  us;  bless  us,  not  only  accord- 
ing to  our  need,  but  according  to  the  riches  of 
Thy  grace,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Amen.  — Theodore  Monod. 


286  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 


AFTER    THE   OFFERING 

LXXXII 

WE  EXTOL  Thy  name,  O  God,  our  Father, 
that  Thou  hast  enriched  us  beyond  our 
deserving,  and  hast  provided  rewards  for  faith- 
ful stewardship.  Remembering  that  there  is  that 
scattereth  and  yet  increaseth,  and  there  is  that 
withholdeth  more  than  is  meet  but  it  tendeth  to 
poverty,  we  seek  Thy  guidance  in  our  scattering. 
Make  us  wise  in  setting  aside  the  due  proportion 
of  our  substance  for  Thy  great  work  in  the  world, 
so  that  with  holy  boldness  we  may  pray  for  Thy 
blessing  upon  our  possessions.  Forbid,  Lord, 
that  we  should  be  unworthy  to  control  what  is 
already  entrusted  to  our  care,  or  that  we  should 
so  far  err  as  to  need  Thy  discipline.  Hear  us  in 
our  desire  to  know  and  to  accomplish  Thy  will, 
and  to  manifest  Thine  eternal  excellence  among 
men.  Accept  our  offering  and  our  prayer  since 
we  live  and  labor  for  Jesus'  sake.     Amen. 


LXXXIII 

ACCEPT,  we  beseech  Thee,  O  Lord,  the  offer- 
ings we  have  just  made  of  our  substance. 
Enable  us  so  to  dedicate  ourselves,  our  homes, 
and  our  business  to  Thy  service  that  all  may  rest 
under  Thy  blessing.  Obeying  natural  laws,  may 
we  obey  also  those  which  are  spiritual,  and  gladly 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       287 

acquiesce  in  Thy  revealed  will.  We  thank  Thee 
for  the  talents  already  entrusted  to  us;  may  we 
be  faithful  stewards.  We  bless  Thee  for  the 
well-being  of  those  we  love,  and  humbly  acknowl- 
edge that  we  cannot  protect  them  from  evils 
unseen;  unto  Thee,  Almighty  God,  do  we  en- 
trust the  lambs  of  our  fold.  Preserve  their  lives, 
if  it  be  Thy  will,  to  our  comfort  and  support. 
Guard  for  us,  we  pray,  such  riches  as  can  take 
wings  and  fly  away;  and  grant  us  grace  to  repel 
from  our  business  all  evil  allies,  and  to  resist  all 
encroachments  of  the  enemy,  that  we  and  our 
possessions  may  all  be  devoted  to  the  establish- 
ment of  Thy  Kingdom  among  men.  This  we  ask 
in  the  name  and  spirit  of  Christ.     Amen. 


PATRIOTIC 

LXXXIV 

OLORD,  our  Heavenly  Father,  high  and 
mighty  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords, 
the  only  ruler  of  princes,  who  dost  from  Thy 
throne  behold  all  the  dwellers  upon  earth;  most 
humbly  we  beseech  Thee  with  Thy  favor  to 
behold  our  most  gracious  Sovereign  King  Edward 
VII  (or  our  royal  sovereign,  or  the  chief  ruler  of 
our  beloved  land,  etc.)  and  so  replenish  him  with 
the  grace  of  Thy  Holy  Spirit  that  he  may  always 
incline  to  Thy  will  and  walk  in  Thy  way.  Endue 
him  plenteously  with  heavenly  gifts;  grant  him 


i88  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

in  health  and  wealth  long  to  live;  strengthen  him 
that  he  may  vanquish  and  overcome  all  his  ene- 
mies; and  finally,  after  this  life,  may  he  attain 
everlasting  joy  and  felicity  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.     Amen. 

— Book  of  Common  Prayer. 

LXXXV 

AND,  oh,  look  upon  this  nation  which  Thou 
hast  so  highly  exalted  among  all  nations, 
and  to  which  Thou  hast  given  such  extended 
dominion  and  power,  and  such  widespread  op- 
portunities of  usefulness.  May  our  beloved 
country,  generally  and  nationally,  rise  to  that  high 
and  blessed  office  to  which  she  is  now  called,  of 
diffusing  the  glorious  light  of  Thy  Gospel  through- 
out the  world.  Let  our  Monarch  be  as  a  Cyrus  to 
returning  Israel;  let  our  statesmen  be  like  Daniel 
and  Nehemiah,  ruling  in  Thy  fear  and  love;  and 
may  holiness  to  the  Lord  be  inscribed  on  all  our 
possessions,  commerce  and  wealth;  that  thus  we 
may  be  a  blessing  to  every  land,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  all-sufficient  Helper  and  Redeemer. 
Amen.  — Bickersteth. 


LXXXVI 

ALMIGHTY  Lord,   the  most   high  God,   by 
whom  kings  reign  and  princes  decree  jus- 
tice.     Thou  puttest  down   one,    and   settest   up 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS       289 

another;  and  there  are  no  powers  but  of  Thee;  the 
powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God.  Thy  Word 
directs  us  to  pray  for  kings,  and  for  all  that  are 
in  authority.  And,  both  in  duty  and  in  inclina- 
tion we  are  petitioners  to  Thy  heavenly  Majesty 
for  Thy  chosen  servant  our  beloved  King  (or  our 
chief  magistrate,  etc.)  and  for  all  our  governors 
in  church  and  state.  Give  Thy  judgments,  O 
God,  to  the  King,  that  he  may  judge  Thy  people 
righteously,  and  break  in  pieces  their  oppressors. 
Give  him  the  spirit  of  government,  and  make  him 
wise  as  a  servant  of  God,  to  discern  between 
good  and  evil;  a  ruler  after  Thine  own  heart,  and 
a  follower  after  wise  and  pious  princes  in  things 
excellent  and  praiseworthy.  Rule  his  heart  in 
Thy  fear  and  love  that  he  may  rule  his  people  to 
Thy  honor  and  glory.  In  his  days  let  the  right- 
eous flourish  and  enjoy  abundance  of  peace,  with 
the  liberty  of  Thy  Gospel  and  the  free  profession 
of  Thy  true  and  holy  religion. 

Grant,  Lord,  unto  all  our  rulers  a  mind  and 
spirit  suitable  to  their  stations.  Make  them  a 
terror  only  to  evil-doers,  and  a  praise  to  them 
that  do  well.  Oh  that  they  may  use  for  Thee,  all 
the  power  which  they  have  received  from  Thee, 
not  bearing  the  sword  in  vain;  but  curbing  and 
suppressing  all  vice  and  ungodliness;  and  defend- 
ing and  encouraging  whatever  is  holy,  just  and 
good.  Oh,  give  them  wisdom  to  understand,  and 
hearts  to  consider,  and  abilities  to  redress  the 
grievances  of  Thy  people;  that  under  their  pro- 


290  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

tection  we  may  lead  quiet  and  peaceable  lives,  in 
all  godliness  and  honesty. 

And  may  all  rulers  so  rule,  and  subjects  so 
obey;  and  every  one  of  us,  from  the  highest  to 
the  lowest,  understand  and  seek  after  God,  that 
Thou  mayest  not  root  us  out  from  being  a  people, 
but  be  still  our  God,  and  do  us  good  in  the  accus- 
tomed ways  of  Thy  loving  kindness  to  us, 
through  the  Son  of  Thy  love,  our  blessed  Lord 
and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.     Amen. 

— Benjamin  Jenks. 

MISSIONS 

LXXXVII 

THOU  Light  and  Desire  of  all  nations,  watch 
over  Thy  messengers  both  by  land  and 
sea;  prosper  the  endeavors  of  all  Thy  servants  to 
spread  Thy  Gospel  among  heathen  nations;  ac- 
company the  word  of  their  testimony  concerning 
Thy  atonement  with  demonstration  of  the  Spirit 
and  of  power;  bless  our  congregations  gathered 
from  among  the  heathen;  keep  them  as  the  apple 
of  Thine  eye;  have  mercy  on  Thy  ancient  cov- 
enant people,  the  Jews;  deliver  them  from  their 
blindness  and  bring  all  nations  to  the  saving 
knowledge  of  Thee;  let  the  seed  of  Israel  praise 
the  Lord;  yea,  let  all  the  nations  praise  Him; 
give  to  Thy  people  open  doors  to  preach  the 
Gospel  and  set  them  to  Thy  praise  on  earth. 
Amen.  — Moravian  Litany. 


A   COLLECTION    OF   PRAYERS       291 

LXXXVIII 

BLESS  the  whole  church  and  family  of  God 
everywhere.  We  pray  for  the  peace  of 
Jerusalem;  we  pray  for  the  true  progress  of  Thy 
Word  in  all  lands;  we  pray  Thee  to  bless  all  mis- 
sionaries, among  Jews  or  Gentiles,  and  at  length 
fulfill  all  Thy  promises,  in  the  universal  triumph 
of  the  holy  and  happy  Kingdom  of  Jesus,  through- 
out the  world. 

Oh,  hear  and  answer  us  for  His  name's  sake. 
Amen.  — Bickersteth. 


LXXXIX 

HEAR  us,  O  Father,  on  behalf  of  the  unevan- 
gelized  peoples  of  the  earth.  Hast  Thou 
not  said  ''Ask  of  me  and  I  shall  give  thee  the 
heathen  for  thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth  for  thy  possession?''  Fulfill 
unto  us  thy  promise,  O  covenant-keeping  God. 
So  teach  us  to  sympathize  with  them  in  their 
ignorance  and  suffering,  their  superstition  and 
sin,  their  degradation  and  cruelty,  that  we  shall 
each  and  all  take  a  practical  and  personal  interest 
in  their  welfare.  Enable  us  to  consecrate  part  of 
our  substance  to  alleviate  their  sorrow,  to  en- 
lighten their  darkness,  and  to  send  them  the  good 
tidings  of  Thy  love.  In  this  great  work  of  re- 
deeming heathendom,  grant  us  the  joy  of  becom- 
ing co-workers  with  Thee;  and  gladden  our  hearts 


292  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

by  the  fuller  coming  of  Thy  Kingdom   among 
men.     Amen. 

XC 

OUR  Gracious  Lord  and  Glorious  Redeemer, 
hasten  that  blessed  time  when  Thy  King- 
dom shall  come  in  all  its  fullness  and  all  shall 
know  Thee  from  the  least  even  to  the  greatest; 
when  the  knowledge  of  Thy  glory  shall  cover  the 
earth,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea.  To  that  end, 
O  God,  prosper  the  labors  of  Thy  servants  o'er 
all  the  earth,  subduing  to  Thyself  all  kindred  and 
tongues  and  nations.  May  the  heathen  and  the 
unbelieving  everywhere  become  the  inheritance 
of  Christ,  and  may  the  light  of  Thy  grace  flood 
all  the  world.  And  upon  us,  O  Lord,  who  enjoy 
the  peace  and  liberty  of  the  Gospel  pour  out  more 
and  more  the  spirit  of  grace  and  of  supplication. 
Lay  upon  our  hearts  the  sorrows  of  our  fellow 
men  in  superstition  and  sin,  and  enable  us  to  cry 
mightily  for  their  liberation  and  enlightenment. 
And  as  we  pray,  so,  O  God  of  might,  enable  u«  to 
labor  for  Thy  glory's  sake.     Amen. 

XCI 

AND  because  Thou  hast  commanded  us  to 
pray  one  for  another,  we  do  not  only  make 
request,  O  Lord,  for  ourselves  and  them  that 
Thou  hast  already  called  to  the  true  understand- 
ing of  Thy  Heavenly  Will,  but  for  all  people  and 


A   COLLECTION   OF   PRAYERS      293 

nations  of  the  world,  who  as  they  know  by  Thy 
wonderful  works  that  Thou  art  God  over  all,  so 
they  may  be  instructed  by  The  Holy  Spirit  to 
believe  in  Thee  their  only  Saviour  and  Redeemer. 
But  forasmuch  as  they  cannot  believe  except 
they  hear,  nor  cannot  hear  but  by  preaching,  and 
none  can  preach  except  they  be  sent;  therefore, 
O  Lord,  raise  up  faithful  distributers  of  Thy 
mysteries,  who  setting  apart  all  worldly  respects, 
may  both  in  their  life  and  doctrine  only  seek  Thy 
glory.     Amen.  — ^John  Knox. 


LIST  OF  AUTHORS  AND  SOURCES  OF 
PRAYERS 

Classification  according  to  subject  will  be  found  in  the 
Contents. 

Alcuin 26 

Alford's  Year  Book 71 

Aquinas 32 

Augustine 43 

Beecher,  H.  W 50,  53,  79 

Berry,  Dr.  Charles  A 57 

Bickersteth,  Bishop  E 27,  85,  88 

Blaikie,  Professor  W.  G 65 

Book  of  Common  Order 4 

Book  of  Common  Prayer 24,  39,  64,  80,  84 

Book  of  Family  Worship 66 

Book  of  Prayers,  Professor  Wm.  Gregg 56,  63 

Calvin 73 

Chrysostom 51 

Dallinger ,  Professor 61 

Dawson,  George 69 

Doddridge,  Philip 34 

Dods,  Professor   Marcus 58 

Dow,  Charles 38 

Ellis,  Rufus 37 

Erasmus 49 

Fairbairn,  Principal,  A.  M 60 

Fenelon 35 

Gandier,  Alfred 5 

Henry,  Matthew 68 

Jenks,  Benjamin 86 

Knox,  John 91 

294 


LIST   OF  AUTHORS  295 

PAGE 

Martineau,  Professor  James 70 

Monod,  Theodore ^ 81 

Moravian  Litany 87 

Murray,  Andrew 36 

New  Directory  for  Public  Worship 75 

Parker,  Dr.  Joseph 48,  54,  55 

Social  Worship 3,  52,  78 

Spurgeon 59 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis 72 

Thomas  a  Kempis 44 

Williams,  Rowland ,^i 


INDEX 

PAOB 

Adoration 32 

Architecture  of  Prayer 114 

Art  of  Expression 105 

Articulation 104 

Artificial  Aid  to  Prayer 7.  45 

Beecher,  on  Prayer-meeting 205 

Bickersteth,  Bishop  E 190 

Blaikie,  Professor  W.  G 43,  199 

Blair 112 

Broadus 43 

Order  in  Prayer 116 

Language  of  Prayer  162 

Brown,  Dr.  C,  Length  of  Prayer 156 

Browning 28 

Bunyan 201 

Cicero 112 

Climax  in  Address 106,  107 

Christ,  Displaced  Symbolism 72 

Christ's  Name  in  Prayer 69,  72 

Christ,  our  Intercessor 71,  77 

Christ,  Prayer  Changed  by 69 

Communion  a  Mutual  Act 29 

Confession 35 

College  Preparation  for  Public  Prayer  Inadequate 15 

Conversational  Tone  in  Prayer 113 

Dabney,  Professor 42 

Dean  of  Canterbury,  Opinion  of  Anglican  Service  ....  25 

Decorum  in  Worship 145 

Dedication 38 

Definition  of  Prayer 27 

296 


INDEX  297 


PAOB 


Development  in  Prayer q4 

Devotional  Worth  of  Worship 17^     18 

Dods,  Professor   Marcus 50 

Domestic  Worship  (see  "The  Altar  in  the  Home") 

Ear,  the,  in  Prayer • loi 

Emerson's  Idea  of  Prayer 67 

Excellences  of  Public  Prayer 135 

Prayer  Life 135 

Appropriateness 136 

Comprehensiveness 138 

Extemporaneous  Prayer 7 

Prayer,  Objections  to 19,  22 

Prayer,  What? 92 

Faith  in  Prayer 82 

Its  Need 214 

Faults  in  Public  Prayer 124 

Unmanly  Prayer 124 

"Oblique  Prayers," 126 

Preaching  Prayers 126 

Doctrinal  Prayers 127 

Historical  Prayers 127 

Denunciatory  Prayers 127 

Politics  in  Prayer 128 

Complimentary  Prayers 129,  130 

Familiar  Prayers 130 

Sectarian  Prayers 130 

Irreverent  Prayers 131 

Rambling  Prayers 131 

Foolish  Petitions 132 

Terms  of  Endearment 132 

Misquotation  of  Scripture 132 

Minuteness  of  Definition i33 

Other  Faults I33,  i34 

Forgiveness  in  Prayer 84 

Free  Prayer,  Advantages  of 24 

Free  Worship,  Objections  to 22 

Free  Worship,  Advantages 23 


298  COMMUNION   WITH   GOD 

PAOB 

Formalism,  How  Best  Overcome 26 

Formulary  versus  Free  Worship 20 

No  Original  Thought  in 24 

Tends  to  Formalism 25 

General  Practical  Rules — Attitude  in  Prayer 142 

Gesture  in  Prayer 144 

Silent  Prayer  before  and  after  Service 145 

Beginning  of  Public  Prayer 146 

Ending  of  Public  Prayer 148 

Proportion  of  Prayer 150 

To  Whom  Should  Prayer  be  Addressed? 152 

How  Many  in  the  Service? 153 

Length  of  Prayers 156 

Poetry  in  Prayer? . .  157 

Gladden,  Washington 44 

On  Prayer-meeting  . , 198,  206 

God,  Appropriate  Names  of 147,  149 

Mispronunciation 134 

God's  Sovereignty,  Man's  Safety 68 

Goethe 57 

Gough,  John  B 97 

Heathen  Prayer,  Influence  of 89 

Hesiod 86 

Holy  Spirit  in  Prayer 50,  78,  215 

Impromptu  Prayer 24 

Individuality — in  Worship 57 

Intercession  37 

Jukes,  on  Christ's  Name  in  Prayer 74 

Liturgical  Worship — Its  Claims] 21 

Luther 44 

Mapping  out  Prayer 116 

McCheyne,  Robert  Murray,  Heroic  Prayer 124 

Mid-week  Service  (see  "The  Prayer-meeting") 

Miller,  Dr.  Samuel,  Unreal  Humility 125 

Moods,  The  Minister's 52 

Influence  Exaggerated 52 

Their  Benefit 53 


INDEX  299 

PAGE 

Moods,  How  Conquered 54 

Movement  in  Prayer 94 

Murray,  Andrew I4 

On  Spirit's  Intercession 80 

New  Directory  for  Public  Worship,  on  Thanksgiving. .   140 

Obedience  in  Prayer 86 

Order  in  Prayer 94 

Outlines  of  Prayer ii9 

Not  Quench  Spontaneity 121 

Parent's  Responsibility ^68 

Parts  of  Prayer 32 

Pathos,  Power  of "o.  "^ 

Petition 37 

Personality,  Different  Types 48 

Influence  in  Public  Prayer 45.     57 

May  be  Diminished,  or  Increased 51 

Plan  of  Prayer 95 

Power  of  Prayer 2°7 

Praise ,,.......••••••••••••••• • ^^ 

Prayer,  Benefits  Not  Reduced  by  God's  Sovereignty. . .     88 

Definition ^7 

Development 94 

Influence  upon  the  Preacher 18 

Learning  to  Lead,  a  High  Attainment i5 

Scope  of  Benefits ^^ 

Should  be  Free ^3 

The  Best  Preparation  for 56 

The  Matter  of  ^^ 

Weakest  part  of  Public  Worship 13,  I5,     i7 

Unity  of  Public  Worship 92 

Praver-Power,  Its  Nature 208 

212 
Its  Measure 

The  Inheritance  of  all  Believers ^9 

Private  Prayer 39 

Preaching  Powerful,  Prayer  Weak i7 

Preparation  for  PubHc  Prayer 42 

Subjective ^^ 


300  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 

PAGE 

Preparation  for  Public  Prayer,  Objective 58 

Special 58 

General 60 

Principles  of  Effective  Prayer,  Essential 61 

On  the  Divine  Side 62 

On  the  Human  Side 81 

Secondary 89 

Rhetorical  90 

Formal 91 

Of  Expression   96 

Pronunciation 104 

Psychology  of  Worship 70 

Public  Prayer,  Differs  from  Private  39 

Public  Prayer,  Its  Purpose 40 

Raymond 109 

Religion  in  the  Home 172,  173 

Repentance  in  Prayer 83 

Responsibility  of  Public  Prayer 16 

Rhythm  in  Address 106,  108 

Ritualism 20 

Ruts  in  Prayer,  How  Avoided 114 

Selfishness  in  Prayer 67 

Shakespeare 104 

Sheridan 103 

Sincerity  in  Prayer 81 

Sovereignty  of  God,  First  Principle  of  Prayer 62 

Spirituality  Indispensable  to  Power  7 

Spurgeon,  Free  Prayer  versus  Liturgy 90 

Spurgeon,  Familiar  Prayer 130 

Terms  of  Endearment 132 

Swell  and  Vanish  of  Voice 107 

Sympathy  in  Prayer 112 

Teaching  Prayer 167 

Tennyson 207 

Thanksgiving 34 

The  Altar' in  the  Home 173 

Scriptural  Authority  for 173 


INDEX 


301 


The  Altar,  Parental  Authority  in 174,  187 

Influences  of  Domestic  Worship 176 

Difficulties  and  Excuses 180 

How  to  Conduct  Domestic  Worship 186 

How  Often? 188 

Where? 189 

Reading  Scripture i8g 

Prayers igi 

Exceptions iqi 

Visitors ig2 

Aids 193 

The  Prayer-meeting,  its  Object 194 

Punctuality 194 

Surroundings   194 

Music 195,  198 

Social  Influences 195 

How  Conducted 196 

Attendance 196 

Interest  of  Absentees 197 

Sentiment  of  Services 198 

Testimony  Meeting 199 

Bible  Readings 199 

Subjects  for  Treatment 200 

The  Prayers 201 

Difficulties 202 

Sentence  Prayers 203 

Silent  Prayers 204 

Scripture  Reading 204 

Ideal  Prayer -meeting 205 

Training  for  Public  Prayer,  Needed 16,  159 

Worth  of  an  Ideal 159 

Methods 160 

Models 161 

Vocabulary 162,  163 

Unity  of  Prayer 92,     93 

Van  Oosterzee 57 

Vinet,  Professor,  on  Poverty  of  Language 163 


302  COMMUNION   WITH    GOD 


PAOB 


Vocabulary  of  Prayer 163 

Voice,  the,  in  Prayer 99 

Vows 38 

Walker,  W.  L.,  on  Christ  in  Prayer 74 

Watson,  Dr.  John,  Responsibility  of  Public  Prayer....  139 
Whitefield,   George , 157 


Date  Due 

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